By Emma Ujah, Abuja Bureau Chief
ABUJA— Amidst growing frustrations in the Niger Delta region over the slow pace of work on the East-West Road meant to link the states in the region and to the rest of the country, the Minister of Works, Mr. Mike Onolomemen, has washed his hands off the project as, according to him, the project was under the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs.

He said in Abuja, yesterday, that it was one of the special Presidential Intervention roads begun by the administration of former President Oluse-gun Obasanjo in 2006 but that “during the admini-stration of late President Umaru Yar’Adua, this particular road was taken from Works and transferred to the Ministry of Niger Delta. So I don’t have the technical details on the road’s progress.

On the second Niger Bridge to link Onitsha in Anambra and Asaba, Delta State capital, the Minister disclosed that the bridge would cost an estimated N100 billion.

He said: “The bridge will be part funded from the Subsidy Reinvestment, SURE, fund” and that the Federal Government was working on executing the project through a Public Private Partnership, PPP.

Private investor would provide N70 billion while the Federal Government provides N30 billion.

Mr. Onolomemen said the project was a very viable one and that several international construction firms were bidding for it, while the Federal Government had already provided for it in the 2012 budget.