Port Harcourt—Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State has blamed the Federal Government for the delay in the completion of the N120bn Bonny-Body Road.
According a report by Punch Newsaper, Wike stated that the delay is because of the inability of the Federal Government to pay N60bn counterpart fund for the project.
The governor noted that the money expended so far on the project had been provided by the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas, NLNG.
According to a statement by his special assistant on media, Kelvin Ebiri, the Wike stated this at the send off ceremony for former NLNG managing director, Tony Attah, at the company’s corporate headquarters in Port Harcourt on Saturday.
Wike was accompanied to the event by the Governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki.
“The Bonny-Bodo Road is not funded by the Federal Government and NLNG. With due respect, it is funded by the NLNG, all the states of the federation and the Federal Government.
“It will be wrong for the Federal Government to continue to claim glory for the funding of the project with the NLNG.
“If this country is a country that all of us mean well for ourselves; that is one project that ought to have been completed by now because of the economic interest that will benefit all of us,” he said.
The Governor lauded Attah for the cordial relationship the NLNG under his watch maintained with the government and people of Rivers State.
He said Attah would be remembered for overseeing the commencement and completion of NLNG corporate headquarters building in Port Harcourt and for ensuring that all fabrication works for the company’s $10bn Train 7 were done in Rivers state.
According to him, the 7.5 percent Value Added Tax from the NLNG Train 7 project will be used to transform the state.
The governor enjoined the new NLNG managing director, Dr. Philip Mshelbila, to sustain the existing cordial relationship with the state government.
The governor used the occasion to reaffirm Rivers State government ownership of OML 11 which was formerly operated by Shell Petroleum Development Company.
