Ekpenyong Has Demonstrated What Representation Is All About- Ex-Presidential Aide Hails Senator

Sen. Asuquo Ekpenyong

Chief Okoi Obono-Obla, a former aide to ex-President Mohammadu Buhari, has commended Sen. Asuquo Ekpenyong, representing Cross River South, for his outstanding representation of his constituents.

Chief Okoi Obono-Obla

Obono-Obla's praise came after Sen. Ekpenyong moved a motion of urgent National Importance in the Senate, urging the investigation of slow pace of work on the deplorable Calabar-Odukpani-Itu road.

The road, which connects Cross River State to neighbouing Akwa Ibom and other South-South and South-East states, has been in a terrible state despite promises by successive administrations to fix it. Motorists have faced immense hardship due to the road's condition. 

Reacting to Sen. Ekpenyong's passionate call, Obono-Obla took to his Facebook page (@Okoi Obono-Obla) to commend him, stating that, “I greatly commend Senator Asuquo Ekpeyong for drawing the attention of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, nay, the Federal Government of Nigeria, to the derelict and dilapidated condition of the Calabar Odukpani Highway. 

This road has made traveling from Calabar to Akwa Ibom and other parts of the South-South and Southeast regions almost an impossibility. Senator Ekpenyong has clearly and amply demonstrated what representation in the National Assembly is all about.”

It will be recalled that, contract for the road's reconstruction was awarded in 2019 by the President Buhari administration, but funding was not provided until 2021, when the federal government released N185 billion for the project. Despite this, progress has been slow.

 In June, Adebisi Osim, Acting Controller of Works in Cross River, assured stakeholders that work would resume soon. However, the government's assurances have not translated into action, prompting Sen. Ekpenyong to bring the matter to the Senate's attention.