Vice President Kashim Shettima has urged the citizens to desist from vandalising public assets, warning that such acts undermine development and economic growth.

Shettima made the appeal on Thursday while inaugurating the newly constructed 33.5-kilometre Elele-Egbeda-Omoku dual carriageway in Rivers State.

The  project is said  to boost connectivity and enhance economic activities and a critical transit corridor  linking several communities across    Ikwerre, Emohua, and Ogba–Egbema–Ndoni Local Government Areas of Rivers State.

The Vice President,  described  the project as an example of a subnational  government’s efforts to expand the nation’s  road network in order to enhance movement of goods and people as well as expand  economic opportunities.

Shettima stated that roads are the most democratic instruments of development as they serve the farmer carrying produce to the market, the trader seeking customers, the worker traveling to seeking employment, the student going to school, and the patient seeking medical care.

He recalled that the road  being celebrated once stood as a warning rather than an invitation to commuters  because of the deep gullies that made every  journey  a herculean task amidst security concerns.

He applauded Governor  Siminalyi Fubara for the intervention made by his administration which has put the ugly memories people had of the road  behind them. He said that by transforming the once deplorable route into  a modern dual carriageway, illuminated for safer movement by day and night, Governor Fubara has left an indelible mark in the hearts of the people of Rivers State.

Governor Fubara emphasised that the completion of the road has  transformed a route previously plagued by avoidable man hour losses and  insecurity into a fast and  secure highway.

According to him, the Elele – Omoku Road is not just a signature  project but an eloquent testimony of his administration’s love and care for the people of  Rivers State, describing it as a promise kept.

For anybody who understands the nature of this road, they will appreciate what we have done here. It’s not just a project; it’s a statement that we have made to show our people that we care for you.

“We already know what normally happens on this road. It is a corridor for kidnap; it is also a very big corridor for bunkering. I’m very, very convinced that with what we have done today, those things will be things of the past. Security agencies can now  operate effectively along this corridor,” he said.

Governor Fubara acknowledged that the delivery of the project would not have been possible without the support  of the people in the communities along the route and thanked them for their unflinching support for his administration.

A statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Onwuka Nzeshi, said  it was a  demonstration of the fact  that Rivers State remains an integral  part of Nigeria  and that the country is standing by the state.

“For a long time, I felt that maybe, we’re not part of this country. But today, I feel very happy that our country is also standing by us. I feel happy and fulfilled that even in the face of all our trials, the face of all the ordeals that befell this administration, there are still positive things that people can see and look at and say: ‘Yes, you meant well for the people,” he said.

 In an earlier presentation, the Rivers State Commissioner for Works, Prof. Temple Nwofor, affirmed  that the road project was delivered  according  to  high engineering standards and specifications to ensure long-term structural integrity.

Nwofor stressed that the contract, awarded to Messrs Craneburg Construction Company on March 26, 2024, included 6 kilometers of drainage and a 99-meter long by 11-meter wide bridge at the Ubimini axis, alongside full street lighting across the entire length of the highway.

“The basic specifics of this project is a total construction and rehabilitation of approximately 33.5 kilometers of road works with a width of 7.3 meters on both sides of the dual carriageway, an asphaltic binder course of 50mm, an asphaltic wearing course of 50mm, a concrete shoulder of 1.2 meters on both sides, and a concrete median of 1.4 meters.

“This road project represents another significant step in the determination of the Rivers State Government to provide durable infrastructure that will improve connectivity,” he said.