Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State, on Thursday tasked President Muhammadu Buhari on the ongoing Second Niger Bridge, the Warri Port and some other strategic roads in the state.
Okowa spoke with State House correspondents after a meeting with Buhari inside the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The governor revealed his mission to the Presidential Villa was to thank President Buhari for appointing an indigene of the state – Dr. Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu – as the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation even though the appointment was on merit.
He said he also used the opportunity of the meeting to call the president’s attention to the Gas City Project in Ogidigben, Delta State.
He said the project, which is a Public Private Partnership, would create a lot of jobs for Nigerians.
Okowa said, “We thought that there was the need for that project to be given some strength and we believe it is in the interest of Nigeria and Delta State that that project is carried out.
“Beyond that too, you are also aware that the Warri Port has come alive and even with the refinery that has started, the port’s activities have improved, but there is a problem because of the Excravos basin”.
The governor said the dredging of the “Excravos bar” would also help to improve the port’s activities and improve the size of cargos that come to the port.
“We also reminded Mr. President about the Second Niger Bridge, which is also another PPP arrangement, and the need for the Federal Government to ensure that that PPP arrangement is strengthened.
“Though work is ongoing, we needed to ensure that it is brought to the knowledge of Mr. President, and he has told us that he is receiving information about that and we hope that activities on the Second Niger Bridge is heightened in the next few weeks.
“There is also an intersection of roads between Benin through Asaba to Onitsha by Igbuzu Road which is quite problematic for us. Sometimes, you can experience traffic gridlock in that place, sometimes, you find out that the accident rate on that road is much and we thought too that the best way forward is to have an interchange at the point.
“Being a Federal Government road, we do need to seek for presidential approval even if it may have to be at our own cost and that was brought to the attention of Mr. President”, he added.
