Akeredolu plans first capital scheme, seal MoU with NDDC on 50km road construction
New Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, on Wednesday, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Niger Delta Development Commission ((NDDC) for the construction of the 50km Akodo-Araromi Road.
The road would link Akodo in Lagos State to Araromi in Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State and `unearth the hidden treasures’ in Ondo South Senatorial District.
According to him, “Today marks the beginning of unearthing the treasures which will benefit this state.
“Not even N5bn Naira is enough for this project; it is a mega project which both parties are interested in and committed to; before our tenure runs out, we should complete it.
“When the Akodo-Ibeju-Lekki-Araromi-Ilaje Road is completed, it will help decongest the Ore-Benin-Lagos Expressway,” he said.
Akeredolu hinted that the unavailability of electricity supply in some parts of the senatorial district in the past four years would soon be resolved as his administration has started fresh moves to connect the zone to the national grid.
In his remarks, Chairman of NDDC, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba, said that this was the first MoU the commission would sign with a member-state, stressing that NDDC had 785 projects in the state.
Ndoma-Egba added further that “A total of 381 are ongoing while 26 are active; 266 have been completed, 96 either stalled or abandoned, while 42 are awarded but contractors are yet to be mobilized”.
“I believe that, with the directive of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo that contractors should return to sites, we are likely to see many more abandoned projects become active.
“It will be better to have fewer projects people see than so many they won’t see, and I think NDDC should concern itself with projects that truly integrate the region and not ad-hoc projects scattered all over,” he said.
