The Rivers State Government and Julius Berger Plc have signed contracts for the construction of two more flyover bridges in Port Harcourt City.
The flyover bridges would be constructed at the intersection of Olu-Obasanjo Road and Port Harcourt-Aba Expressway, and the intersection of Olu-Obasanjo and Ikwerre Road up to Azikiwe Street in Port Harcourt.
The two additional flyover bridges, which are the seventh and eighth to be awarded to Julius Berger by the Governor Nyesom Wike-led administration, are expected to be completed within the next 12 months.
Speaking on the event, the state Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike described the signing of the contract as another memorable day in the history of his administration.
“The previous government had said that we will not get money to pay salaries, not to talk about doing projects. To the glory of God, we are paying salaries and pensioners, and we are also doing projects. God is ultimate, not man. So, when people take the power of God, assume themselves to be God, then, you see God will come and do a different thing.”
Wike assured the people of the state that his administration would not play politics with any infrastructure that would transform the state into an investment hub.
He said his government would also not relent in delivering quality infrastructural projects that would stand the test of time to Rivers people.
The governor observed that people often complain that Julius Berger contracts are very expensive, whereas in actuality, they are not.
According to him, the reason why the state government awarded eight flyovers to Julius Berger was because of the company’s reliability and proven competence.
Wike appealed to motorists and commuters to bear the inconveniences caused by on-going construction jobs across the state, particularly in Port Harcourt, with equanimity.
“There will be lot of hiccups here and there in terms of people moving about, but this is sacrifice they must make to get these infrastructures on ground. If it had been done before, we will not have been doing it now. Since they didn’t do it, now that we are doing it, you have to make sacrifice. So, nobody should say there are lots of traffic. It is better to have traffic now and at the end of the day, you have good roads, than not having traffic, and then, you don’t have good roads.”
The governor disclosed that the state government would mobilise Julius Berger with 70 per cent of the project sum to enable the company deliver the two additional flyover bridges within the next 12 months.
In his response, the Managing Director of Julius Berger, Dr Lars Ritcher, assured the governor that the two additional flyover bridges would be completed alongside three other on-going ones within the next 12 months.
The Rivers State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Prof Zaccheus Adangor; the Commissioner of Works, Elloka Tasie-Amadi and the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Works, Dr Walter Ndu signed the contract on behalf of the Rivers State Government, while the Managing Director of Julius Berger, Dr Lars Ritcher, and Regional Manager, Jurgen Fischer; signed for Julius Berger.
