Buhari to commission NDDC’s N10bn bridge in Rivers

Acting Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Dr Gbene Joi Nunieh, has disclosed that President Muhammadu Buhari will inaugurate the N10.9 billion Kaa-Ataba road and bridge linking Khana Local Government Area to Andoni Local Government Area of Rivers State.

According to a statement issued on Sunday by the NDDC Director, Corporate Affairs, Charles Odili, the NDDC boss made the disclosure during an inspection of the commission’s projects in the state, adding that work on the 4.7-kilometre road and bridge would be fast-tracked to ensure that the project was completed by the end of January 2020.

She said the NDDC Interim Management Committee would use the project to demonstrate that the Buhari administration cared for the people who live in the rural communities, noting: “Mr President is very determined to take development to the rural communities. That is why he gave us the mandate to reach out to the grassroots”.

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The NDDC boss remarked that as an interventionist agency, the commission would endeavour to leave its footprints on villages spread across the nine Niger Delta states, working in collaboration with the state governments.

Nunieh said she was delighted that the project which was awarded in 2009 and appeared neglected, had been revived, declaring “the contractor has returned to the site and we will complete it to give the communities in Andoni access to modern facilities in other parts of Rivers state”.

She expressed satisfaction with the performance of the contractor, whom she noted was an indigene of one of the communities in the area, noting that “many other contractors have equally gone back to the site since we assumed duties.”

According to the NDDC acting managing director, when the road and bridge was completed, many people from the area would be going to work from their villages as she stated that some of the communities were important in their own rights, especially Oyorokoto, which she said was one of the largest fishing ports in the region.