September 03, (THEWILL) – The Bayelsa state government has restated its commitment to commence work on the Nembe-Brass senatorial road project.
The deputy governor, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, made this known when a group, the Progressives of the Central Senatorial District of Bayelsa State, paid him a courtesy visit at his office in Government House, Yenagoa.
In a statement by his media aide, Mr Doubara Atasi, Senator Ewhrudjakpo explained that abandoning any meaningful inherited project is a waste of scarce resources.
According to the deputy governor, the government wants to ensure that the Nembe-Brass road repairs continues at the same pace as the ongoing Sagbama-Ekeremor and Yenagoa-Oporoma road projects.
He said the Governor Douye Diri-led government has taken far-reaching steps towards the take-off of the Nembe-Brass Senatorial road project, including redesigning the project and completing an environmental impact assessment (EIA).
However, in light of the capital-intensive nature of the project, he disclosed that the government has entered talks with the Federal Ministry of Finance on possible ways to raise funds from the multinational oil companies operating in the area.
According to Senator Ewhrudjakpo, the state government had already suggested that the Nembe-Brass Road be funded under a Tax Infrastructure Rebate Project to enable contributing multinational companies enjoy tax holidays during the period of its construction.
He commended the group for their steadfastness, courage and show of true statesmanship, and assured them of the present administration’s readiness to work with them.
He said: “On the issue of the Nembe-Brass Road that you raised, clearly there were some issues about it,. But we have almost sorted them out. The only problem we have is that resources are not available.
“But we are still working hard. If you will recall, just recently we have started talking to the Federal Ministry of Finance to do what we call Tax Infrastructure Rebate Project.
“So, AGIP, SHELL, AITEO and all other companies operating within that area will have a tax holiday in exchange for helping us to construct the road. That process is on because we don’t have all the resources.
“We are working around those issues to ensure we get the Nembe-Brass Road not only up and running, but also keep it going at the same velocity as the Sagbama-Ekeremor and the Yenagoa-Oporoma roads. We have that as a top priority.
“We have already done a redesign of some of the areas because some of the earlier designs were not very amenable. We have also done an EIA to take care of environment impacts issues that the project may throw up,” he said
Speaking on behalf of the group, Engineer Charles Ambaiowei lauded the government for keeping faith with the aspirations of the state’s founding fathers.
Engineer Ambaiowei, a former Commissioner for Works in the state, advised the present administration to conduct a “holistic planning for the state” and give equal attention to the three senatorial roads.
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