By Amos Aar
BENUE State Governor, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia, has assured China Harbour Engineering Company of the State Government’s support and partnership as the company embarks on the second phase of the Abuja-Makurdi-9th Mile (Enugu) Road.
Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to Governor Hyacinth Alia, Mr Tersoo Kula, said his principal gave the assurance on Wednesday when a team from the company paid him a courtesy visit at Government House, Makurdi.
Alia reportedly said the government and the people of the state have been waiting with excitement and anticipation for the commencement of the second phase of the project, stating that the state government already has a team on ground that will help the company in the areas of collaboration and land compensation.
While appreciating the Federal Government of Nigeria for awarding the Makurdi-9th Mile Road contract, Governor Alia equally thanked China Harbour Engineering Company for accepting to partner with the Nigerian Government and for completing the Abuja-Makurdi dualization work for the usage of the people of the axis and Nigerians in general.
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Earlier in his address, the Project Manager of China Harbour Engineering Company, Engr. Li Qaingqiang, appreciated the people of the state for the co-operation they gave the company while it handled the Abuja-Makurdi Phase 1 project, calling for the same level of cooperation for a timely completion of the Phase 2 of the project, which is the Makurdi-9th Mile (Enugu) Road.
He called on the Benue State government to liaise with the company and the Federal Ministry of Works in addressing the land compensation challenge, to enable the company to complete the work on time. According to him, preparation work on the project were carried out in 2023, with proper work billed to commence shortly.
