When former President Olusegun Obasanjo awarded the contract for the East West Road project late in 2006 in the heat of violent agitations by youths of the Niger Delta, there was unending joy and euphoria in the oil-bearing region as the road held great promises. Beyond the social and economic importance of the road, Obasanjo conceived it as a means to quench the fire of militancy in the oil region.

A 675km dual-carriageway meant to open up the entire Niger Delta states, linking them one to another as well as with the industrialized South-West region of Nigeria, the East West Road stretches from Calabar in Cross River State to Warri in Delta State, with an additional 23.9km included by former President Goodluck Jonathan to link Calabar with the oceanic town of Oron in Akwa Ibom State.
The road was conceived to link all major oil towns, beginning from Oron in Uyo to Calabar across Cross River and the Atlantic Ocean, up to Itu and Eket (Akwa Ibom), Port Harcourt and Ahoada (Rivers), Kaiama (Bayelsa), and Warri (Delta), up to Benin. From there, a traveller to Lagos would link up Okada Town (Edo), straight down to Ore, Sagamu, and then Lagos.
It was going to be a great relief to Niger Deltans because before the road was conceived, a traveller from the eastern wing of the Niger Delta would go through Aba, Owerri, Onitsha and Asaba before linking up to Benin and from there to Lagos or any other part of the South-West.
Ten years after, however, controversies still trail the project despite huge sums so far sunk into it. The project is far from completed even as road users lament the bad state of several sections of the road.


Section II-I (Port-Harcourt-Ahoada-Kaiama) in Rivers State from N29.9bn to N48.9bn; and Section II-II (Ahoada-Kaiama) in Rivers/Bayelsa States from N44.8bn to N84.759bn. A sum of N671 million was on October 24, 2012 approved for the contract for consultancy services for the engineering design of the extension of the East-West Road (Section IV) from Oron in Akwa Ibom State to Calabar in Cross River State awarded to Messrs Siraj Nigeria Limited. In 2014 alone, a total sum of N479.2 billion was approved for the project. On October 22, a sum of N165.25bn was approved for the construction of Phase I, Section V of the road from Uyo/Oron Roundabout in Akwa Ibom State to Calabar-Odukpani Road in Calabar, Cross Rivers State, awarded to Messrs China Civil Engineering & Construction Company (CCECC).
“The FEC also approved N269.383 billion as ‘revised estimated total cost 2’ for the variation of engineering construction contracts for the dualisation of the East-West Road, Section I (Warri-Kaiama) in Delta State and Section II: Subsection II-I (Port Harcourt to Ahoada) in Rivers State and Subsection II-II (Ahoada-Kaiama) in Rivers/Bayelsa States awarded to Messrs Setraco Nigeria Limited. On November 12, 2014, a sum of N43.9 billion was approved for the upgrading of the 15km of the Section III of the road: Port Harcourt, from Eleme Junction to Onne Port Junction in Rivers State, awarded to Messrs Reynolds Construction Nigeria Limited. The Federal Executive Council, on December 3, 2014, approved N661.33 million for engineering supervision of the construction of Section V of the road (Oron-Calabar), Phase I in Akwa Ibom/Cross River States, awarded to Messrs Siraj Nigeria Limited. The former Minister of Niger Delta, Oru, had late last year disclosed that the East-West Road, initially scheduled for completion in December 2013, had to be shifted to the first quarter of 2015 because of inadequate funding. These sums give a total of N726bn.”



travellers. These sections were majorly handled by Reynolds Construction Company.
Our findings also show that work on a bridge across the Qua Iboe River in Eket LGA stopped after the major concrete work was done. Contractors have returned to the site of the bridge with their equipment several times but have also pulled out as often without completing the bridge.
It was gathered that a section of the road from Oron, a coastal town in Akwa Ibom State that would link it with Cross River State through a bridge, has yet to commence, though the design for the bridge has been completed.
In the Eket area, part from lack of funds, there was also the issue of the redesign of a section of the road in Eket town due to the number of houses affected in the original design which also caused a considerable delay in the execution of the project.
It was gathered that while the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs insisted on a new design to avoid the payment of compensation to a huge number of property owners affected by the construction of the road, the community insisted that the original plan should be strictly adhered to.


No hope yet
Many had expected that the project would have been completed under Jonathan, a son of the soil. But in view of Jonathan’s exit without completing the project, coupled with declining financial fortunes from oil, many now wonder whether the road would ever be completed. The worst hit seems to be the Oron-Calabar section which is yet to start, even though the NDDC said it was offering palliatives on the Calabar axis pending the full action of the Federal Government. It is also believed that completing the Rivers and Ughelli axis could at least link the road up from Benin to Uyo.
Many who spoke to BDSUNDAY, however, say in order to complete the EWR, there may be need for a probe first of all, which may open another can of worms.
Ignatius Chukwu, Aniefiok Udonquak, Mike Abang & Mercy Enoch
















https://www.google.com/amp/s/businessday.ng/uncategorized/article/hope-dims-for-n726bn-east-west-road-project/%3famp=1

I'm very sure that under Obasanjo regim, a kilometer road was around 1billion plus

The highway is unbuildable because the terrain won't allow something of that scale.
It will constantly flood while also blocking the hundreds of waterways it has to cross, and the amount of bridges that need to be built will be cartoonish.

Biodun556:
I'm very sure that under Obasanjo regim, a kilometer road was around 1billion plus

But are you aware now that a kilometre of that same road now cost 4billion naira ?

Biodun556:
I'm very sure that under Obasanjo regim, a kilometer road was around 1billion plus

Why not fix East West road instead of the coastal road

Ofodirinwa:
The highway is unbuildable because the terrain won't allow something of that scale.
It will constantly flood while also blocking the hundreds of waterways it has to cross, and the amount of bridges that need to be built will be cartoonish.

The project will still be abandoned. If the government is serious about that project, the contract is supposed to be shared amongst the construction giants. How can only one company without any meaningful track record be given such a contract?

In my own opinion the federal government should even stop awarding new contracts. They should complete all the abandoned projects first before awarding new ones.

What sort of a road will cost the nation 15 trillion excluding cost of railway tracks? It simply means that by the time the cost of building the railway tracks to it is added the road will be like 20 trillion naira or even more.

Ofodirinwa:
The highway is unbuildable because the terrain won't allow something of that scale.
It will constantly flood while also blocking the hundreds of waterways it has to cross, and the amount of bridges that need to be built will be cartoonish.

Exactly. Such long stretch along the coast is not feasible

It is not today that Emilokan Tinubu has been doing what successive past useless government could not do.

For over 30 years, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, General Olusegun Obasanjo, Alhaji Umaru Yar'Adua, Dr Goatluck Jonathan, General Mumumodu Buhari we're unable to stop the fraudulent fuel subsidy, Emilokan Tinubu Jagaban stopped in in the first 30 minutes of his government.

In less than a year in office Emilokan Tinubu Jagaban merged the different legal and illegal FOREX markets into ONE which is controlled by government, that is what the useless rulers mentioned above including IBB could not do for over 40 years.

He is not called the god of Politics for nothing.

Ofodirinwa:
The highway is unbuildable because the terrain won't allow something of that scale.
It will constantly flood while also blocking the hundreds of waterways it has to cross, and the amount of bridges that need to be built will be cartoonish.

It is achievable

Biodun556:
I'm very sure that under Obasanjo regim, a kilometer road was around 1billion plus

Bola Ahmed Tinubu is a criminal

Eleporobi:


But are you aware now that a kilometre of that same road now cost 4billion naira ?

Do you expect the price to be the same after 22 years?

weMUSTsayIT:


Bola Ahmed Tinubu is a criminal

I'm justifying the 4 billion naira per kilometer. You don't expect the price to be the same after 22 years

Ofodirinwa:
The highway is unbuildable because the terrain won't allow something of that scale.
It will constantly flood while also blocking the hundreds of waterways it has to cross, and the amount of bridges that need to be built will be cartoonish.

Atiku just described it as a Highway to fraud and waste

Biodun556:


I'm justifying the 4 billion naira per kilometer. You don't expect the price to be the same after 22 years

Bola Ahmed Tinubu is a certified criminal who built an overhead tank in Lagos with 500 million plus

weMUSTsayIT:


Bola Ahmed Tinubu is a certified criminal who built an overhead tank in Lagos with 500 million plus

If you call Tinubu a criminal, what then do we call your parents? Just a honest question, no fight, no quarrel. What do we call the people who are unlucky enough to bring a thing like you into the world?

Ofunaofu:


Atiku just described it as a Highway to fraud and waste

Atiku is useless politicians

Ofunaofu:


Atiku just described it as a Highway to fraud and waste

He is correct. It is a money laundering operation. The 'price' is $18bllion or something like that in USD. Meanwhile this amount has never been spent on a single highway in the US which is the size of west africa. If you combine all of the highways in the US it cost $118 billion to build, and again, the US highway system is the biggest, longests and most advanced in human history. It cuts through every major city and if you have not been to the US you will understand that it is the equalvalent of building the Lagos-Calabar line for every single major and mid-sized city in the whole of west africa.



Chagoury is one of the people Tinubu likes to steal money with, and the contract was given to him with 0 competition or bidding.
That money is for future APC political battles. The logistics of building this highway are unrealistic especially knowing Nigeria. I can be done but it will sink the public perception and finances of any government that dares it and no president is going to risk their presidency on something like that.

Ofodirinwa:
The highway is unbuildable because the terrain won't allow something of that scale.
It will constantly flood while also blocking the hundreds of waterways it has to cross, and the amount of bridges that need to be built will be cartoonish.

We've seen great roads built on tougher terrains in Europe, in US and Asia. Why can't it be possible here in Nigeria? We've seen amazing roads built on water, rail tracks laid under the ground, and even gigantic bridges hanging in the air, so what's the big deal about a coastal highway? This is 21st century for God's sake!

richiemcgold:


We've seen great roads built on tougher terrains in Europe, in US and Asia. Why can't it be possible here in Nigeria? We've seen amazing roads built on water, rail tracks laid under the ground, and even gigantic bridges hanging in the air, so what's the big deal about a coastal highway? This is 21st century for God's sake!

They will not build bridges that hang in the air, which they should. They will be low land bridges, which we already build.
I just don't see any nigerian government having the selflessness and political capital/will needed to do this. All of those things they built abroad, if you look closely, they didn't inflate their budget as much as we already have from start. This project will take decades. That's decades of inflation of budget, decades on unstable currency. One government will start it, and another will finish it but it will bankrupt of seriously indebt many of the governments to come. Which no president is risking their public perception for Tinubu's project.


Also, those low land bridges will end all possible navigability of the rivers in that area, severly stifling the economic future of the country. The entire Niger River that can be used as a super highway of goods and people is blocked by ignorantly low bridges at several points.


If I see a blueprint which high bridges, and a sensible budget I'll believe in it, but I feel this is another siphon for public funds

.

WorldRichest:
It is not today that Emilokan Tinubu has been doing what successive past useless government could not do.

For over 30 years, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, General Olusegun Obasanjo, Alhaji Umaru Yar'Adua, Dr Goatluck Jonathan, General Mumumodu Buhari we're unable to stop the fraudulent fuel subsidy, Emilokan Tinubu Jagaban stopped in in the first 30 minutes of his government.

In less than a year in office Emilokan Tinubu Jagaban merged the different legal and illegal FOREX markets into ONE which is controlled by government, that is what the useless rulers mentioned above including IBB could not do for over 40 years.

He is not called the god of Politics for nothing.

You fool which God of politics that lost his home state and adopted State
He has been the most stupid president ever