From Aniekan Aniekan, Calabar
The Cross River State government has approved the sum of four hundred million naira to be paid as compensation for communities along Calabar – Itu road.
The government made this known after thr State executive council meeting which took place at the Council of Chiefs Chambers in Calabar.
The road has been stalled for several years as a result of issues of compensation and some land owners along the road hurriedly put up structures along the road with thr hope of claiming compensation from the government.
Pius Ankpo, the state works commissioner who announced government’s plan at the end of the council meeting emphasized that the payment is for the ongoing construction work along Ikot-Nyong to Itu bridge federal highway.
The works commissioner pointed out that payment of compensation had been one of the major issues that hindered the pace of work in the project.
According to him, those who hurried to erect various structures, in order to make claims, should not expect anything, while declaring that whatever compensation to be paid would be made to those with ancestral structures, and what would be paid would be a fraction, and the balance would be the contribution of the landlord communities and owners to the road development.
The council also approved the repairs of some network of roads in Ogoja and Yala local government areas including the Ukelle road, Akreha bridge, and the Yache-Alifokpa road.
In the central senatorial district, Yakurr and Ikom LGAs have been earmarked for massive road interventions.
The council also approved construction of Adiabo-Ikoneto bridge, which was initiated during the military era in the 90s, but abandoned by successive federal governments.