The Governor of Bayelsa State, Douye Diri, has warned against plans by some persons he described as ‘enemies of progress’ to frustrate the commencement of construction of the Nembe-Brass Road project in the East Senatorial District of the state.
Diri gave the warning while making his remarks during an emergency meeting of the state executive council which he presided over inside the Government House, Yenagoa, on Wednesday.
The government had on May 11, 2022 awarded the contract for the construction of the first phase of the Nembe-Brass road at the cost of N54.1bn to Setraco Nigeria Limited.
The first section of the road covers a distance of 21 kilometres with not less than 10 bridges.
Diri said information at the disposal of the government indicated that the enemies of development were holding meetings with a view to kidnapping workers and causing impediments, among other violent threats, to thwart the project.
He said his administration was almost finalising payments for construction work to start, urging the leaders, youths and stakeholders of the Nembe and Brass Local Government Areas to see the project as their own.
The governor said, “The Nembe-Brass Road is critical and very important to this government and, in particular, the people of the Nembe and Brass Local Government Areas.
“However, it has come to the notice of the government about those enemies of progress, who are meeting to ensure that that road does not kickstart and that if the road starts, there will be impediments, kidnappings and all other plans.
“May I call on the youths of the Nembe and Brass Local Governments, the leaders of the two local governments to see that project as their own. As a government, we can only bring it to your domain. You can take the horse to the water and you cannot force the horse to drink the water.
“However, the people of Nembe and Brass that I know will not reject that project. For us as a government, we are committed to the construction of that road but it rests on the users of that road to own that project like the way the Southern Ijaw people have owned the Oporoma Road (Central senatorial district), and the people of the West (senatorial district) have owned the Sagbama-Ekeremor Road.”
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