N3bn road repairs increased economic activities in Onne seaport –Stakeholders

Stakeholders in the nation’s maritime industry have disclosed that the repair of the East-West road by River state government in conjunction with its partners has boosted economic activities at Onne seaport as well as Oil and Gas centre in the state.

It would be recalled that Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesome Wike along with Intels Nigeria Limited, INL, and the Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, repaired the road at cost of N3 billion to boost commercial activities in the oil-rich state.

Governor Wike had on assumption of office, appealed to some firms operating within the Oil and Gas ports complex to join hands to repair the sixkilometre East-West road, especially between Eleme junction in Port Harcourt and Onne port junction, belonging to the Federal Government.

Intels had in response to the call, donated N1 billion while five other firms, comprising the NPA, Indorama Petroleum Limited, West African Container Terminal Limited, Port Harcourt Refining Company Limited and Oil and Gas Free Zones, Onne contributed N2 billion. Some stakeholders, who commented on the repairs of the road, noted that economic activities at the seaports have returned in full swing.

While recounting the harrowing experiences, the stakeholders equated the situation to the gridlock in Apapa, Lagos as business activities were negatively affected, due to poor access port roads. “The untold suffering this development brought on commuters and businesses within and outside the ports came with a huge cost, as profits declined annually.

The long wait for governments at various levels to take responsibility and intervene to save citizens and businesses from hardship were exhaustive and unattainable, leading to the collaborations with Rivers state government”, a stakeholder stated.

It was also gathered that Reynolds Construction Company, RCC, the contractor handling the road repair, has guaranteed the quality of the road, saying it will sustain free flow of traffic.

Meanwhile, the Head, Public Relations and Nigerian Content Development for Intels Nigeria Limited Mr. Isidore Sambol, who reacted on the issue, noted that companies and agencies are committed to their Corporate Social Responsibility, CSR, just as he said, they are not taking away the responsibility of government to its citizenry “It is about identifying with the communities and giving back to the society, being in business for the common good”, Sambol said.

Intels Image Maker also assured that the daily free flow of traffic with minor hitches show the strength and capacity of the contractor, RCC, which is also committed to delivering the job on schedule.