Fidelia Soriwei, Abuja
Vice President Kashim Shettima and Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, have commissioned the 33.5-kilometre Elele-Egbeda-Omoku Dual Carriageway, a major road project linking communities across three local government areas in Rivers State.
The road traverses Ikwerre, Emohua and Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Areas and includes a bridge over a river. The state government said the project is expected to improve transportation, strengthen connectivity and support economic activity along the corridor.
Shettima arrived in Rivers State on Thursday to represent President Bola Tinubu at the commissioning. He was received at the Port Harcourt International Airport by Governor Fubara, members of the State Executive Council, federal lawmakers, ministers and other senior officials.
Speaking at the ceremony, Shettima described road infrastructure as a key driver of economic development and improved access to essential services.
“Roads are the most democratic instruments of development. They serve the farmer carrying produce to market, the trader seeking customers, the worker travelling to employment, the student going to school, and the patient seeking Medicare,” he said.
“When a road works, society moves.”
The Vice President said the corridor had previously been associated with damaged roads, deep gullies, difficult journeys and security concerns. He said the completed dual carriageway would improve movement during both daytime and nighttime.
Shettima added that better road access would allow farmers to transport produce more efficiently, connect traders with wider markets and help businesses reduce transportation and logistics costs.
“Public infrastructure must be judged by the lives it improves,” he said.
He commended Fubara for completing the project and investing public resources in its delivery.
“I therefore, on behalf of President Bola Tinubu, GCFR, commend His Excellency, Governor Siminalayi Fubara, for committing public resources to this project and bringing it to completion,” Shettima said.
Fubara described the road as more than an infrastructure project, saying it reflected his administration’s commitment to communities along the corridor.
“It’s not just a project, it’s a statement that we have made to show our people, the three local governments, the benefits, the communities that are most close to this project that we care for you and your concerns are our concern,” he said.
The governor said the route had previously been associated with kidnapping and illegal oil bunkering, expressing confidence that the improved road would make it easier for security agencies to operate in the area.
“I’m very, very convinced that with what we have done today, those things will be things of the past. Security agencies can operate effectively along this corridor,” Fubara said.
He also highlighted the road’s lighting system, which runs along the route and is expected to improve nighttime visibility and security.
“In this project, we have lights from the beginning to the end. So even in the night, it is properly illuminated,” he said.
Fubara thanked the Federal Government for its support, describing the commissioning as evidence of his administration’s commitment to fulfilling its promises to residents of Rivers State.
