President Muhammadu Buhari says construction of section 5 of the East-West road from Oron (Akwa Ibom) to Calabar (Cross Rivers) to be funded under the forum on China-Africa cooperation has been approved.

President Buhari disclosed this when he received a delegation of elders and political leaders from Akwa Ibom, who visited him at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja, on Monday.

He also told the delegation, led by Sen. Godswill Akpabio, that other road projects worth billions of naira for the South-south geopolitical zone had been captured in the 2019 budget.

“Meanwhile, to complete the Cross River, Akwa Ibom Abia axis of the road I have directed the Federal Ministry of Works, Power and Housing as well as the Ministry of Budget and National Planning to provide in the 2019 budget the dualisation of Ikot-Ekpene – Aba axis of the federal highway covering the three states.

“Please recall also that railway projects also cover your state as well as other South-South and South East states of the country.

“I also wish to inform that the construction of section 5 of the East-West road, Oron – Calabar (Cross River state) a major priority project to be funded under the forum on China – Africa Cooperation, arrangement with the Chinese government, has received approval,’’ he said.

He also announced that the construction of a power sub-station in Ibiono, Akwa Ibom was in progress.

According to him, the electricity project when completed would boost power supply to adjoining Local Government Areas and parts Cross Rivers.

He reassured that no part of the country would be left out in the provision of infrastructural facilities.

He said: “I have taken note of your appreciation of the appointments into the federal service from your state and let me assure you that I shall continue to be fair and equitable in federal appointments to all states of the country.’’

On infrastructure, President Buhari thanked members of the delegation for appreciating the award of various road projects in the Akwa Ibom and the South-South zone of the country.

The President, who expressed satisfaction for the appreciation shown by the delegation, said such gesture would motivate his administration to offer more service to Nigerians.

Earlier, Sen. Akpabio said that he along with thousands of indigenes of Akwa Ibom defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) because of the leadership style of President Buhari and the achievements so far recorded by his administration.

Akpabio, who was the Senate Minority leader before his defection to the APC in August, said that his heart was with President Buhari in the 2015 election despite the fact he was a member of the PDP

He lamented that throughout the PDP’s 16 years in office at the federal level, there was not even one-kilometre road project by the federal government in the state.

He expressed the hope that Akwa Ibom would be the first state from South-South that will be won by the APC in the 2019 general elections, stressing that already what remained of the PDP in the state was mere carcass as the body and soul of the party had joined the APC.

He said: “I can predict that the first state in Nigeria to fall to the APC in 2019 Presidential election in Akwa Ibom State, no one can controvert this.

“I still speak with authority because I have my People’s backing to pronounce what I have just pronounced, victory is for APC and victory is for Mr. President come 2019 in Akwa Ibom State.”

The senator said that over 260,000 new members had registered with the APC after him and some other people dumped the PDP.

He assured the president that no single indigene of South-South would vote against President Buhari in 2019,

The APC leader in Akwa Ibom, Chief Don Etiebet, who also commended President Buhari for appointing some indigenes of the state to strategic positions, traced the mass defection to APC in Akwa Ibom to the political ties between the region and the north.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the delegation was made up of former Minister, Members of the National Assembly, Women and Youth leaders, party chieftains and Chief Executives of some government Agencies. (NAN)

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