Vice President Kashim Shettima and Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, have commissioned the 33.5-kilometre Elele-Egbeda-Omoku Dual Carriageway in Rivers State.
Shettima represented President Bola Tinubu at the commissioning ceremony held on Thursday, after arriving in the state earlier in the day.
The Vice President was received at the Port Harcourt International Airport by Governor Fubara, members of the State Executive Council, federal lawmakers, ministers and other senior government officials.
The development was disclosed by Stanley Nkwocha, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications in the Office of the Vice President, in posts shared on X.
The road cuts across Ikwerre, Emohua and Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Areas and is expected to boost transportation and economic activities across the communities along the corridor.
Speaking during the commissioning, Shettima described infrastructure as a major driver of economic growth and improved living standards.
He said roads remained essential to everyday economic activities, connecting farmers with markets, traders with customers, workers with their places of employment and patients with healthcare facilities.
“When a road works, society moves,” the Vice President said.
Shettima noted that the route had previously been plagued by deep gullies, a deteriorating carriageway, difficult journeys and security challenges.
According to him, the newly completed dual carriageway has transformed the corridor into a modern road equipped with lighting to improve safety during both daytime and nighttime travel.
The Vice President also stressed the importance of continuity in governance, saying successive administrations could build on projects initiated by previous governments for the benefit of citizens.
He said the road would allow farmers to transport their produce more quickly and with fewer losses, while traders would gain access to wider markets and businesses would benefit from reduced transportation and logistics costs.
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Shettima commended Fubara for committing state resources to the project and ensuring its completion.
On his part, Fubara described the road as more than an infrastructure project, saying it represented his administration’s commitment to the people living along the corridor.
The governor said the road had previously been associated with criminal activities, including kidnapping and illegal oil bunkering.
Fubara expressed confidence that the improved road network would strengthen security operations by allowing security agencies to move more effectively across the area.
He also highlighted the street lighting installed along the entire stretch of the road, saying the illumination would help deter criminal activities at night.
“We already know what normally happens on this road. It is a corridor for kidnapping. It is also a very big corridor for bunkering,” Fubara said.
He added that the improved infrastructure would make such activities increasingly difficult.
Fubara thanked the Federal Government for its support and described the completion of the project as evidence that his administration was fulfilling its promises to Rivers residents.
The Elele-Egbeda-Omoku road, which includes a river-crossing bridge, is among the major infrastructure projects completed by the Rivers State Government.