President Muhammadu Buhari, on Tuesday, performed the ground breaking ceremony for the construction of the N600 billion 260 kilometre dual carriage highway from Calabar to the northern part of the country.
Speaking at the event held at Obung village, Netim Clan, Akampa Local Government Area of Cross River State, Buhari said the Federal Government would give the needed support to the project.
He stated that upon completion, the road would reduce travel time from six hours to about two hours from Calabar to the famous Obudu Ranch Resort, adding that it would also reduce man-hours presently wasted on the road.
Buhari said, “The 260km road is intended to serve as the evacuation route for the Bakassi deep seaport, another signature project of the administration.
When completed, this road, which starts from the seaport and terminates at the boundary between Cross River and Benue states will link the southern part of Nigeria to the North-Central, the North-East and ultimately, Central Africa.
“This will undoubtedly expand the boundaries of our economy by providing countries such as Niger Republic and Chad access to the seaport.
“It is my expectation that, in turn, this should swing open the doors of opportunity for the people of Cross River State and Nigeria as a whole.” He commended the state governor, Professor Ben Ayade for creating a new vista of business opportunities for Cross River and the rest of the country.
Speaking earlier, Ayade said super highway which was an evacuation corridor from the seaport would have a track of 14 metres and a key wall of 680 metres which would allow for vessels to berth.
