The Minister for Niger Delta Affairs, Godsday Orubebe has disclosed that the long awaited East-West road will be completed and delivered to Nigerians by December 2014.

The Minister disclosed this during a courtesy visit to the Imo state Governor, Rochas Okorocha at the Government House in Owerri, the Imo state capital.

He said initially the contract which was awarded under the administration of former president Olusegun Obasanjo in 2006 at the rate of N23 billion was to be completed by the year 2009 but was later realised that the project report submitted had no detailed design and feasibility study which delayed the implementation of the paper work till 2010.

He added that in order to bring development to the Niger Delta states, the Ministry of Niger Delta has articulated an action plan which will collectively bring the efforts of all the Niger Delta Governors, Federal Governement and stakeholders in the region together in order to bring meaningful development to the area and this has initiated the ministry to embark on a visit to all the nine Niger Delta states.

Meanwhile, the Imo state Governor Rochas Okorocha commended the Niger Delta Ministry for its activities in bringing development to the areas. He however decried the minute contributions made by NDDC in the Niger Delta states even with the huge amount of money voted to NDDC by the Federal Government.

Mr Okorocha added that especially in Imo state, the Government and its citizens have not felt any impact of the NDDC, he however appealed to the Federal Government to also help Imo state benefit from what all the Niger Delta states are enjoying and not to be limited to only Akwa Ibom, Delta, Cross River and Rivers states.