President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday performed the ground-breaking ceremony for the construction of the 260km dual carriage road to link Calabar to Northern Nigeria.
Speaking at the event held at Obung Village, Netim Clam, Akampa local government area of Cross River State, Buhari expressed the commitment of the Federal Government to the speedy completion of the project, which is scheduled to be completed within the next four to five years.
The project, he said, is expected to open the doors of opportunity for the people of Cross River State and Nigeria as a whole.
He said: “When completed, this road, which starts from the seaport and terminates at the boundary between Cross River and Benue States will link the southern part of Nigeria to the North-Central, the North-East and ultimately Central Africa.
“This will undoubtedly expand the boundaries of our economy by providing countries such as Niger Republic and Chad access to the seaport.
He commended the state governor and his team for creating a new vista of business opportunities for Cross River and the rest of the country.
The 260km super highway, which is an evacuation corridor from a deep seaport in Bakassi, is expected to reduce travel time between Calabar and Katsina-Ala from about six hours to one hour and 30 minutes.
The super highway and the sea port projects are estimated to cost about N700 billion. The Nation.
