Surveyor Moses Teibowei is the Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Bayelsa State. In this interview with PAULINE ONYIBE, he talks about the infrastructural developments of the Prosperity Government of Governor Douye Diri in the state

How has the Douye Diri government fared sir in terms of infrastructural development?

In the Ministry of Works and Infrastructure, ours is to work and carry out the programmes of His Excellency, Senator Douye Diri, and during this anniversary, actually several projects were lined up for commissioning.

We had in mind to commission the Seven- Kilometer Opolo/Elebele Road. Government also planned to commission Road 1 linking LNG, and it was done by Mr. President. Within the same new Yenagoa City GRA, I am sure you saw several dual carriageways completed, but not open for public use.

We have roads 3, 4, 5, and 6, all dual carriageways completed. It’s yet to be commissioned. We have not opened it for public use. Government also completed this Polaku/Sabagreia road and bridge. It is listed for commissioning, but yet to come up with a date.

Can you now say that the Prosperity Government has done enough?

I want to say that, yes, the Prosperity Government has changed the narrative of infrastructural development in Bayelsa State since its creation. The importance of the Polaku/Sabagreia road and the bridge, has made the movement of goods, services and people easier and faster because I know that from Sabagreia to East West Road is about 21 kilometers.

If you have to go Yenagoa from Sabagreia and you have to go through East/ West Road, you will drive 21 kilometers before you get to there. From East/West Road, you now drive to Glory Drive Phase 1. That will take you another 10 minutes.

Then from Glory Drive Phase 1 to Igbogene, Ecumenical Center, will also take you not less than eight to 10 minutes. Before you drive another seven or eight minutes on Glory Drive Phase 2, that’s when you will even get to Tombia Roundabout. But now, from the LNG Junction, it will take you less than five minutes and you are in Onopa. And it won’t take you up to 10 minutes from Sabagreia to get to that particular point.

So, you can look at the period of time that you have saved in terms of traveling all the way to East/West Road to get to Yenagoa. These are some of the things that the Governor saw and said, no, the State Government should take over this project from NDDC, because it has been, I would say, not attended to for over 15 years.

And the Bayelsa State Government agreed with NDDC, and because we have our own as the MD, I will definitely commend him for accepting to hand over that project back to the Bayelsa State Government. And today, it’s a project that has been completed. Though not commissioned, but it’s open for public use.

You also talked about some other ongoing projects…

Yes, there are a lot of ongoing projects. Thank God the former Vice President commissioned Agbura/Oxbow Lake Road. The President, when he came, commissioned the 630 meters Angiama /Oporoma bridge. But the road, after the bridge, the road to Oporoma is 7.5 kilometers.

It is not yet commissioned, because we just have one small bridge, which ordinarily would have been a culvert but because the community insisted that it is a bridge they want, so that during the flood season, they will be able to bring farm produce from the forest, government accepted, and I can assure you that by the middle of June, that 20 meters bridge will also be commissioned, because all the beams are already by the side if you are entering Oporoma. Then, you have another spur which is 2.5 kilometers. It is also not commissioned.

We have our own reasons, because of the joy in the hearts of the people, the two communities are saying, you do our own separately, because we want to host you and we never expected that we will see this, especially the people of Otuan because when the issue of Yenagoa/Oporoma/ Ukubio Road was mentioned, Otuan was not in the picture.

It was the Prosperity Government that brought Otuan Community into the picture, and today, we have access to their community. So, to them, it is something that they never anticipated, but we did it for them, and they want to also host His Excellency the Governor to show that appreciation. So, we are waiting. When the time comes, we will let the public know.

The Prosperity Government, as I said earlier, is very much committed, and I want to go further to say that if government or subsequent governments will walk like the Prosperity Government, I believe that in no too distant future, more than 80 per cent of our communities will be connected by road and Bayelsa will develop faster.

Are there other projects that are still ongoing?

Yes. The Prosperity Government, through the Central Procurement Board, has awarded contracts for Agbere/Elemebiri Road project. That project is ongoing. Penultimate Thursday, I went on project inspection, and there are several communities that will benefit from that road project. From Agbere, you have Abuato, it’s an Isoko-speaking community, you have Osifo and you also have Osikeneke.

These are Isoko-speaking communities in the Sagbama Local Government Area of our state. And after Osikeneke, you also have Asamabiri, then you have Egbeniware before you get to Elemebiri. As I speak to you clearly, I’ve reached Egbeniware. Sand filling has also gone far. Last Thursday, I was able to drive up to Asamabiri. Bond Walls are also being constructed. Stone Base is also being done. So, progress is being made along that axis.

Then if you come to the Ekeremor axis, we have the Ekeremor/Agge Road. We have decided to take about 27.8 kilometers, so let me round it up to say 28 kilometers stretch of the road, which is a spur to Peretorugbene, all in Ekeremor local government.

The first 3.45 kilometers have already been stone based, leading to where they will construct the first bridge that is going to Tamugbene and other communities there. Sand filling is up to about 10 kilometers across the river and we believe that in the next few years, we should be able to get to Ndoro and the spur to Peretorugbene.

So work is going on that axis also. For the Akaba-Okodi Road, we are at this Ogbia community. I can’t remember but after that community, we have another 2.5 to 3 kilometers that will lead to Okodi, but you can drive to where we actually awarded the contract.

We have directed that the other three kilometers will be done so that we will be able to access the Okodi community. That’s where the MD of NDDC comes from. So, I believe that by the end of this year, we will be able to achieve that feat also. We also have another project that is about to commence, contract has already been awarded.

That is the one from Okumbri community, from Okumbri to Iriama, Iriama to Adagbabiri, Adagbabiri to Ogbusuware, Ogbusuware leading to Igbemo-Angalabiri. It’s also about 22 kilometers or thereabouts. And the contract was awarded to Setraco. And very soon, Setraco will start that road project. Then we have the Toruebeni/ Okumbiri-Amatolo/Kabiama/Bolorua/ Toru-orua road project. That project is also ongoing.

It’s being handled by HMG. I will go on inspection this week because I have made my own personal observation about the slow pace of work concerning that road. And I believe that with the discussions that we have held in this office, the contractor will take it seriously because I’ve been informed that they have moved a dredger to site and they’ve already started pumping.

So, we’ll go inspect the project and we’ll be able to properly inform Bayelsans on the progress of that job also. The nine-story building is ongoing. You can see that the project is moving faster. With the level they have attained now, they have assured us that by the end of this year, they will be able to get to the ninth floor because the section that is going is now smaller because of the way the building is designed.

So, it will be faster. The stadium project is also ongoing. The Glory Drive Phase 3 has also gone very far. From Mgbi junction, you will see the bridges that are being done and if you are coming from Glory Drive Phase 2 and I believe that by the end of June, you’ll be able to even drive up to Imgbi Junction. So that’s where we are on projects in Bayelsa state.

Do you see the government completing all these projects in the next two years before leaving office?

Yes, the prosperity government has less than two years but I can assure you with what His Excellency, the governor has said, we will work till the last day to ensure that these projects which he has started are completed.

While the government is focusing on major inroad infrastructure, there are still internal roads that are bad. People are also saying that the Nembe/ Brass Road has been abandoned. What is your reaction to that?

The Nembe/Brass Road is ongoing. Significant progress has been made on that project. Bridge 1 is completed. Bridge 2 is also completed because you can now go across. Bridge 3 and 4 is also completed. Bridge 5 piling is going on. Then you have 6, 7, 8. We have culverts now.

Then 9, 10. But beyond Bridge 5, sand cement stabilization has been done up to 13 kilometers. Stone base is also ongoing. So, significant progress has been made on that and I believe that by the end of this year, we should be able to get to St. Nicholas River, which is about 21 kilometers.

Talking about Phase 2, you mentioned rumours. I don’t believe in rumors. I also don’t believe in social media reports because most people do some things mischievously. Some people do some things mischievously.