The President, Major-General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) on Tuesday commissioned the 1.2km Ikom Bridge constructed by his regime to boost economic activities in the state.

The new bridge is located on a major South-North highway.

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Commissioning the project virtually in Ikom, Ikom LGA of Cross River State, Buhari stated that the project will boost the economic prosperity of Nigerians, adding that recommendation for the construction of the bridge was done by the National Planning Commission some years ago.

Buhari said that the construction of the Ikom bridge arose from the headroom inadequacy of the existing bridge and the need to enable accessibility of heavy-duty trucks along the project corridor as well as enable the Calabar seaport, airport and free trade zone to be fully functional and accessible to traffic.

According to the President, the Ikom bridge is among the seven projects commissioned Tuesday, which include three federal secretariats, three bridges and a road.

Buhari was represented in the state by the Federal Controller of Works in Cross River State, Koya Kehinde.

He said that the project would reduce the level of poverty in the state given its connectivity with Benue State, and other states in the nation.

“It also provides short connectivity and addresses multidimensional poverty.

“Most of the projects are executed with repatriated funds from overseas,” Buhari stated, adding that stolen and recovered funds from corruption cases are utilised for the good of the people.

Lauding the President for the project, Cross River State Governor, Prof Ben Ayade who was represented by the state Commissioner for Works, Engr. Dane Osim-Asu said the Federal Government has 13 trunk A roads in the state and has rehabilitated 9 roads leaving the remaining 4 that are still in a sorry state.

The governor appealed to the Federal Government to come to the aid of the state as bad roads have paralysed economic activities in the state.