The Delta State Government has reportedly completed the construction of 1,169 kilometres of roads and 597 kilometres of drainage projects in eight years of former Governor Ifeanyi Okowa’s administration.
Fred Dafioghor, Permanent Secretary, Delta State Ministry of Works, made the disclosure to the News Agency of Nigeria.
Dafioghor, who spoke on Tuesday in Asaba, the Delta State capital, said the Okowa-led administration had between May 2015 and May 2023 embarked on a total of 890 projects across the state.
According to him, the projects covered about 2,088 kilometers of roads and 1,230 kilometers of drainage system, out of which 494 of the projects were completed.
“As of now, we had about 396 ongoing projects covering 919 kilometres of roads and 597 kilometers of drainage projects inherited by the present administration of Governor Sheriff Oborevwori,” he said.
Dafioghor also noted that the Ministry of Works was a very major part of the Okowa administration in the sense that it executed several projects.
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He added: “Everybody who came to Asaba in 2015 about the time Okowa’s administration came in, will remember vividly that whenever it rained in Asaba, it was a nightmare for residents.
“So one of the things that Governor Okowa did, which is underground that nobody sees today, is the Major Storm Water Project that was executed in Asaba.
“In Asaba, we executed more than eight drainage projects.
“The first one was the completion of the drainage project in Jesus Saves Road.”
The Permanent Secretary recalled that the construction of the drains began during the administration of the ex-Governor James Ibori, but was later abandoned until Okowa’s commitment and resilience completed it.
He also said that another milestone recorded by the previous administration was addressing the challenges of the Okpanam axis whenever it rained.
He said: “Okpanam is about 100 metres higher than Asaba and because of the nature of this development, most of the rains that fall in Okpanam end up in Asaba.
“The previous administration took some very decisive steps to construct two major drainage projects to address those situations.”
Dafioghor also said that aside from the drains that were executed in Asaba and its environ, such projects had also commenced in other parts of the state, especially in the Warri/Effurun axis.
According to him, because of the continuity of governance, Governor Oborevwori had inspected the project one month ago.
He said: “Koka flyover is another great achievement of the previous administration.
“Everybody will always remember the nightmare they go through plying that route before its completion.”
Dafiogho, however, noted that flooding had been a major challenge to civil engineering projects, especially during construction of roads and drains in the state.
