After 33 years, Governor Bassey Otu has revisited the long abandoned construction of an alternative corridor into and out of Calabar, the state capital.
The project focuses on the construction of the 10-kilometer Adiabo-Eseku-Ikoneto road, a highly complex undertaking that reduces travel on the Calabar-Itu road by over 30 kilometers, providing a critical alternative route for entry and exit from the state.
Despite its relatively short length compared to other major projects, this road is one of the most significant initiatives under the current administration due to the challenging terrain.
The road passes through the swampy areas of Adiabo, presenting formidable soil topography issues.
Experts estimate that filling just one meter of some sections of the road requires up to 100 trips of sand, with certain areas demanding sand filling depths of 3 to 5 meters.
Although the economic significance of this road has been recognized for decades, it was abandoned after the General Sani Abacha military regime.
Successive governments have avoided the project due to its high cost.
However, His Excellency, Senator Prince Bassey Otu, has taken on this seemingly impossible challenge, proceeding boldly without relying on national or international support.
