The Nigerian Army’s 82 Division’s garrison commander, Brig.-Gen. Murtala Abu has commended MTN and the Federal Government for providing financing for the Enugu-Onitsha dual carriageway’s renovation.
Mr Abu made the compliment during a meeting with the MTN/Crown Crest Global Engineers (CCGE) Community Liaison Initiative (CLI) team, chaired by Chris Okoye, on Thursday in Enugu.
The commander complimented MTN for its dedication to sponsoring and constructing a world-class road for the benefit of Nigerians and commended the government for devising such a creative plan to introduce smart road infrastructure.
He stated that the lack of vehicles for patrols and road user indifference were two problems with smart roads.
The commander also mentioned that roadblocks were strategically placed in high-risk locations for kidnapping and armed robberies.
Nonetheless, Mr Abu assured the MTN/CCGE-CLI team that their recommendations on smart roads and the function of security agencies would be further investigated to select the appropriate course of action.
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He suggested that to decrease the number of road checks, the MTN/CCGE-CLI team collaborated with law enforcement and the Federal Road Safety Corps. He also asked them to request patrol cars from the state government to support them.
The garrison commander said, “A joint security meeting with all the security outfits and the construction companies to discuss the location of the CCTVs and how to ensure that the road remains smart would be the sure way to go.
“I will also appeal that the road be constructed to make room for future expansion into a four-lane expressway due to the growth and development of the South-East and the importance of this particular highway.”
Mr Okoye said the 107km Enugu–Onitsha Dual Carriageway would be a full option smart road when completed.
He explained that MTN was funding the construction through the federal government’s novel Road Infrastructure Tax Credit Scheme (RITCS).
Mr Okoye said MTN/CCGE-CLI was focused on ensuring that the Highway remained beneficial to all stakeholders along the road corridor, and “MTN/CCGE-CLI is committed to working with the Nigerian Army to create a synergy on security on the road.”
(NAN)
