23rd JUNE 2022/ 3:24PM

Paschal Emeka, Abuja

The House of Representatives has stressed the need to Construct Yahe-Wanokom-Wanikade-Wanihem-Benue Border Road and Mbube East 1 and 2 in Cross River State.

 Hon. Jude Ogbeche Ngaji, All Progressives Congress (APC), Ogoja/Yala Federal Constituency, Cross River State, while moving a motion of urgent public importance, on Thursday, June 23, 2022, noted that Cross River State has an enviable history of tourist attraction in the country; however, poor rural roads have resulted in exorbitant vehicle operating costs and unquantifiable travel times.

He also noted that ten years after the Cross River State Government and the African Development Bank (AfDB) jointly awarded the Yahe-Wanokom-Wanikade-Benue border road for construction under the Cross River Rural Access and Mobility Project (CR-RAMP)

The project was abandoned, while the supposed beneficiaries continue to suffer loss of livelihood and properties as well as increasing poverty due to the deplorable state of the road.

He stated that due to its deplorable state, commuting on the road which cuts across North and South Ukelle in Yala Local Government Area of Cross River State is a hellish experience with outrageous fares for the commuters

Hon. Ngaji added that the dilapidated state of the road has caused untold hardship to the people of the surrounding communities as access to markets outside the state, including neighbouring Benue and Ebonyi states, especially in the rainy season, has become impossible because many parts of the road have been cut off by gully erosion.

 The House in its resolution directs the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing to commence reconstruction of the Road Network from Yahe-Wanokom-Wanikade-Wanihem-Benue Border Road and Mbube East I & II to the Boundaries of Obudu in Cross River State and mandate the Committee on Works to ensure compliance.