The majority of the current road projects started by the previous government left a financing deficit of almost N6 trillion, which the Federal Government has disclosed.
This was announced in a statement released on Monday by Federal Minister of Works, Mr. Dave Umahi, which is accessible on the ministry’s official website.
“Mr. President is not complaining of the challenges he inherited in nearly all sectors of the economy, especially as it concerns our road infrastructure, but he is quite courageous as he had promised to tackle the problems head-on which he has started to do not minding the debt burden inherited especially the funding gap of over Six Trillion Naira (₦6T) from most of the inherited on-going road projects,” Umahi stated.
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FG’s commitment to improving road infrastructure across the country
The minister reiterated the current administration’s commitment to actualizing sustainable road infrastructure development throughout the country, adding that President Tinubu was ready to change the ugly state of roads.
Umahi also mentioned that President Tinubu had allocated N300 billion to the Ministry of Works to build new roads and repair existing ones throughout the country.
“Mr. President has since reeled out plans of commitment, consistency, and innovations towards actualizing a sustainable road infrastructure development throughout the country. He has just approved a 2023 Supplementary budget of Three Hundred Billion Naira (₦300B) for the Ministry of Works comprising of One Hundred Billion Naira (₦100B) for immediate palliative works in 36 States and FCT and Two Hundred Billion Naira (₦200B) for continuation of most of the inherited ongoing projects and very few new but critical road projects,” the minister explained.
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Call for public participation in supervising ongoing projects
In a bid to ensure the quality of road construction projects across the country is of topmost quality, the Federal Ministry of Works has called on the public to supervise ongoing palliative construction projects that are being financed by the government.
Umahi directed that whenever members of the public come across poorly constructed roads, they should photograph the defects observed, indicate the location and contractor of the ongoing project, and immediately report the same to 08030986263, 08037086137, or 08106423197.
Here’s what the minister said: “All poorly constructed roads should be photographed and reported immediately to the following contacts: 08030986263, 08037086137, or 08106423197; showing the name of the contractor, the location and type of contract and defects observed. The Federal Ministry of Works will document such reports, verify and take effective action to correct such infractions. The Federal Ministry of Works shall also periodically recognize publicly those who made such reports that are genuine in a public engagement forum to be hosted quarterly by the Federal Ministry of Works and will sanction such erring contractors publicly too.”
