State Commissioner for Works, Mr. Ephraim Inyang has reiterated the commitment of the Udom Emmanuel-led administration to improved quality infrastructure, roads and their maintenances in the state.
The Commissioner stated this recently when he led a team of top Ministry staff and aides of the Governor to inspect equipment at the site of Akwa Ibom Road and Other Infrastructure Maintenance Agency, Ibiaku Ishiet, Uruan Local Government Area.
Speaking to newsmen at the site, Mr. Inyang said the present government was poised to put the several abandoned equipment acquired by the Godswill Akpabio-led administration to full use.
According to him, “contrary to media reports that the equipment were not in existence, I can confirm from my initial assessment that most of them are functional and few others require repairs. This Agency was established in 2013 by the Chief Godswill Akpabio administration and Governor Udom Emmanuel, who is an excellent, efficient and prudent manager, has deemed it fit to revive these equipment to optimal use.”
“Governor Udom Emmanuel is passionate about fixing roads that had been overtaken by potholes at minimal cost and it makes economic sense to make good use of existing government owned equipment to undertake the task of repairing roads.”
Mr. Inyang announced that his Ministry has taken over the management and running of the Agency so as to achieve greater productivity.
“We will also ensure that we generate revenue from this Agency. Some of the equipment here, I am made to understand, were bought by the present Government. The stories circulating in the media that there are no equipment here are not true,” he stressed.
Reacting to the pronouncement by the Works Commissioner, a public affairs analyst, Chief Udoinyang Udoinyang, wondered what will become the fate of an agency established by law to operate independent of the Ministry of Works.
“Why was the Road Maintenance Agency established in the first place? Why waste Akwa Ibom commonwealth running an inexistent agency for this number of years? The law establishing that agency should be looked into again and probably, a probe panel should be set up to investigate and probe all that has happened in that agency from inception till date,” he concluded.
