By NABIL TEE (JOHN NTEKIM)

Reps Press FG to Build Oron–Calabar Road 12 Years After Contract Award

THE House of Representatives has urged the Federal Government to begin construction of the Oron–Calabar section of the East-West Road, 12 years after the government approved the contract.

The lawmakers also want the long-delayed project included in the 2027 budget estimates. They called on the Federal Ministries of Works and Finance to make the necessary provisions to move the project forward.

Rep. Martins Esin, who represents Oron/Mbo/Okobo/Udung Uko/Urue-Offong/Oruko Federal Constituency, presented the motion on Thursday. He highlighted the prolonged delay in completing the road, which was conceived as the final stretch of the East-West Road.

According to Esin, the Federal Executive Council approved the construction contract on October 22, 2014, under former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan’s administration. The contract was valued at ₦165.3 billion.

The council subsequently approved an additional ₦661.33 million for engineering supervision on 3 December 2014. However, despite these approvals, the Oron–Calabar section remains unfinished.

Esin, who chairs the House Committee on Youth Development, said the delay has restricted the movement of people and goods between Akwa Ibom and Cross River states. It has also deprived the region of the economic and developmental benefits expected from the completed highway.

He stressed that the Federal Government must act on the existing approvals and prioritise the project. In his view, completing the road would improve transportation, strengthen connections between the two states and open up economic opportunities across the Niger Delta.

Following the motion, the House urged the Federal Ministry of Works to take immediate steps towards commencing construction. It also called on the Ministries of Works and Finance to ensure that the project receives a place in the 2027 budget estimates.

To reinforce the resolutions, lawmakers mandated the House Committees on Appropriations and Works to monitor compliance.

The decision places renewed pressure on the Federal Government to move the project beyond years of delay. However, the next critical steps will be securing the necessary budget allocation and translating the legislative resolutions into actual construction work.