The Joint Committee on Works of the National Assembly has expressed outrage over the deplorable condition and slow progress of work on the Calabar–Itu federal highway, describing the situation as a national emergency requiring immediate government intervention.
Chairman of the House Committee on Works, Akinola Alabi, made this known during an inspection tour of the highway and the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Road in Cross River State.
The visit was part of the committee’s constitutional oversight to assess the pace and quality of federal road projects in the region.
Alabi, who was accompanied by the Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on Works, Usman Banye, Senate Committee Chairman on NDDC, Asuquo Ekpenyong, and Joint Committee Coordinator, Ashley Emenike, said the lawmakers were disappointed with the work done so far and the performance of some contractors handling the project.
He blamed the decision to switch the road design from asphalt to concrete pavement for the delays, adding that several contractors lacked the technical expertise to deliver high-quality concrete roads.
“Even the portions already completed in concrete are not impressive,” Alabi said. “Not all contractors can handle concrete roads. However, HITECH has performed relatively better on its assigned section.”
Alabi disclosed that the committee would soon convene a public hearing to summon all contractors, officials of the Ministry of Works, and other stakeholders to account for the project’s prolonged delay.
“We need a national emergency on this road,” he said. “This road is a lifeline between Cross River and the South-South. We cannot keep quiet while Nigerians suffer daily on it.”
Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong, who represents Cross River South, recalled that the Senate had earlier debated the issue after a pregnant woman delivered her baby inside a car while trapped in traffic on the same route.
Senate Vice Chairman on Works, Usman Banye, praised the inspection effort, describing the Calabar–Itu highway as a legacy project of President Bola Tinubu that must not be allowed to fail.