Julius Berger commends FG on flag off of Bodo-Bonny road project

The Federal Government has been commended for the flag off of Bodo-Bonny road construction project linking between Bonny Island to the rest of Rivers State.

The Bodo-Bonny road project which was flagged off by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, was first conceived under the military administration of General Yakubu Gowon in 1973, has previously, over the past decades, suffered so much implementation hiccups and failure.

Berger in a statement on Tuesday by its Public Relations Officer, Prince Moses Aduku, said that the company’s technical strength and contractual reliability energizes hope for stakeholders assuring that the project would be delivered within the stipulated timeframe.

“Julius Berger’s historical contractual delivery records and dependable engineering construction capabilities as a preferred partner for critical national infrastructure in Nigeria again came up for worthy mention at the ceremony to flag off the Bodo-Bonny road construction project in Bonny, Rivers State on Thursday,” the statement read.

Senator Kabiru Gaya who represented the President of the Senate said that President Buhari is interested in the project and promised that “with funding guaranteed for the project, it would be completed by the reliable Julius Berger and commissioned within or even lesser that the stipulated completion date”.

The Bodo-Bonny road project is a benchmark regarding financing cooperation between the private and public sectors, in reference to the special contractual conditions of part funding of 50% by NLNG. NLNG’s involvement in the N120 billion project exemplifies progress through cooperation and is highly commendable as the largest single CSR initiative ever undertaken by a private company in Nigeria.

The significance of this project cannot be understated, as the first road link between Bonny Island to the rest of Rivers State, it will go a long way to promote business, support growth, boost safe travels, and strengthen and improve development and the quality of life of Nigerians in Rivers State, especially those living on Bonny Island, Ogoni, Okrika, Eleme and Andoni. Moreover, it will assist Bonny NLNG to operate at maximum capacity by reducing transportation inefficiencies and improving profit, thereby advancing economic development.

Julius Berger’s excellent, reliable and lasting engineering construction capabilities practically represent the best choice for the delivery of the manifestly challenging works. The company has been constructing major infrastructure projects across Nigeria since 1965. The company also have a long history on Bonny Island, as the first major contractor to enter the Island over 20 years ago, in the mid-1990’s to carry out infrastructural work for the NLNG plant and have continuously been working on the Island since that time.

Julius Berger has a proven track record of successfully completing work, on time, no matter the challenge. The company continue to set standards for technological leadership in the construction sector and seek to pioneer state-of-the-art construction methods and technologies to ensure that innovations are prioritized for the benefit of clients. The company has continued to invest in providing robust, long-lasting construction solutions, which have proven to stand the test of time, and there is good reason to believe Julius Berger will deliver the same level of quality and service for the Bodo-Bonny Road project.

Technically, the road is a massive undertaking. It includes construction of a 39km long road through low lying marshy area, muddy area and swampy area; construction of cross culverts and two mini bridges with a span of 23m each; construction of two creek bridges, Afa Creek Bridge of about 530m length and Nanabie Creek Bridge of about 640m length; and construction of a major river bridge of about 750m length over the Opobo Channel.

The Bodo-Bonny road works are stipulated for completion over a Construction Period of 58 months.

The Managing Director and CEO of Nigeria Liquified Gas (NLG), Tony Attah, said that with a strong partner like Julius Berger Nigeria Plc, it is assured that this time around, the Bodo-Bonny road project will be completed and delivered for use.

Attah said that the road when completed, will go a long way to promote business, support growth, strengthen and improve development and the quality of life of Nigerians in Rivers State, especially those living on Bonny Island, Ogoni, Okrika, Eleme and Andoni.

He added that the road would assist Bonny NLNG to operate at maximum capacity by reducing transportation inefficiencies and improving profit, thereby advancing economic development.

Earlier speaking, Senator Magnus Abe who described the project “a strategic national and critical linkage asset for socio-economic integration and development for the benefit of all Nigerians” urged the communities around the project corridor to promote peaceful cooperation with the company to bring about the delivery of the project within the stipulated time.

Abe said that if Julius Berger could work as assiduously as it did only recently to deliver the extremely challenging Abuja Airport runway and Tincan seaport construction projects ahead of their completion schedule, a peaceful working environment will also lead to a good completion of the Bodo-Bonny road by the company.

Some of the dignitaries at the flag off include: Minister of Works, Power and Houseing, Mr Babatunde Raji Fashola SAN, the Senate President who was represented by the Chairman, Senate Committee for Works, Senator Kabiru Gaya, His Royal Majesty, King Edward Asimini William Dapa Pepple III Perekule XI, the Paramount Ruler of the Grand Bonny Kingdom, and other stakeholders.