Former Special Adviser to the Cross River State Governor on Budget, Mr. Otu Otu Ita, has defended the ongoing intervention on the Sweet Mother Road in Ikom, describing it as a remedial project intended to provide temporary relief for road users pending a comprehensive reconstruction.
Ita made the clarification in a post shared on his verified Facebook page on Friday, amid recent protests and public debate over the condition of the rehabilitated road.
According to the former budget adviser, the project has been widely misunderstood, as many residents viewed it as a full-scale road construction rather than a remedial intervention.
“It is my thinking that Sweet Mother Road was a remedial project, not a substandard one, since it was handled by an intervention agency,” he wrote.
He explained that remedial road projects are designed to ease the hardship experienced by motorists and residents and are executed with funding that is significantly lower than what is required for a standard, long-lasting road.
While acknowledging the concerns raised by members of the community, Ita said the reactions reflected the information available to the public at the time.
“For me, the concerns expressed by members of the community stemmed from information at their disposal. Public expectations are shaped by what we see, and where there is limited information, misconceptions can easily arise,” he stated.
The former budget adviser stressed that the incident underscores the importance of effective communication in public service, noting that stakeholder engagement should accompany project implementation.
He maintained that keeping communities informed about the nature, purpose and limitations of government interventions would help build trust, manage public expectations and reduce misconceptions.
According to Ita, the recent conversations surrounding the Sweet Mother Road project offer an important lesson for future infrastructure interventions, highlighting the need to complement project execution with proactive public communication.
By Kingsley Agim
