The Bodo-Bonny Road, which will link the mainland of Bodo to Island of Bonny, home to the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Limited and many oil companies, will be read for use by December 31, 2023, works and housing minister, Babatunde Fashola, said on Wednesday, during an inspection tour of the project at Opobo, Rivers State.
The link road which traverses forests, swamps and creeks will provide a safer mode of movement to Bonny Island where major oil companies carry out their operations. Before now, the oil majors and other companies spent huge sums of money on helicopter and boat services, sometimes at great risk as well.
The 37.9 kilometres road which has 13 bridges is beig financed by the NLNG under the Federal Government Tax Rebate Scheme and is estimated to cost N200 billion.
Read also: Makinde approves reconstruction of Ijio- Idiko-Ile Road
Already, the construction of the road has provided about 719 direct jobs and 3,050 indirect jobs for the youths and people of the host communities and others, while “the completed stretch of the road has reduced travel time to the Afa Creek Jetty (Patrick Waterside) from 40 minutes to five minutes as well as cut travel cost from about N6,000 to N2,000”, a document issued by the office of the minister, stated.
It also stated that the completed stretch of the road has provided easy access for residents to their farms, schools and health centres in the communities, while the stretch with the first completed major bridge (Afa Creek Bridge) and the sand-filled stretch of the alignment has provided access to the sites of the ongoing Bodo Oil Spill Remediation Project.
The completed works on the road are payment of compensation for structures, crops and economic trees along the road alignment, demolition of (compensated) structures at the Bonny axis of the projects, site clearance and site clearance for outfall drain routes, among others.
Similarly, main bridges at Afa-Creek, Opobo Channel, Nanabie Creek, Pipiline and nine mini bridges with a total of 348 metres long are at advanced stages of completion.
While speaking during the inspection tour, Fashola noted that the project, aims among other benefits, to alleviate poverty as the road construction is impacting the lives of the people of the host communities.
“When government speaks of poverty alleviation, it is about providing infrastructure like this, which gives jobs to many people”, he said.
Alabo Osobonye LongJohn, the chairman of the Bodo-Bonny Road Project Peace Committee, said he was excited that the Federal Government was “finally integrating the host communities to Nigeria”.
He expressed the gratitude of the people to President Muhmmadu Buhari and Fashola, adding that they now feel a sense of belonging to Nigeria.
Thomas Haug, Julius Berger’s project manager for the road, also confirmed that the road will be ready by the end of 2023.
Join BusinessDay whatsapp Channel, to stay up to date
Open In Whatsapp
