The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, has expressed satisfaction, over the performance of the All Progressive Congress, APC, led federal government, under President Muhammadu Buhari.
Speaking while defending the 2017 budget for his ministry, at the National Assembly, Fashola said there was a possibility of the ministry getting more funds, before the 2016 budget expires.
He explained that the ministry only received 53 percent of N300 billion appropriated to it, in the 2016 budget.
He said that due to the effective management of funds, he is in doubt if there is any State in the federation, where roads are not being constructed.
“It is not the question of lack of capacity but the question of how much revenue the country earns and how they can give to us to pursue our work.
“We received only 53 percent on the allocation; there is the possibility that we will get more before the current budget fully winds down.
“I doubt that there is any state in the federation where there is no road project going on, whether it is our own direct project or constituency project,” Fashola said.
Presently, in the 2017 budget proposal, the Power, Works and Housing Ministry, was allocated N564.2 billion.
According to investigation, it is the highest vote for capital expenditure in the entire 2017 budget.
Fashola said the highway projects as proposed in the 2017 budget, were grouped into categories, in order of priority and importance of the projects.
He said, the “priority 1” projects are “national priority projects on critical economic routes on the federal road network.”
“These are highly trafficked North-South, East-West routes used for the distribution of goods and services across the country and major river-crossing bridges.
“The sum of N150, 470,553,292, which represents 62.22 percent, is proposed to execute “national priority 1” projects in 2017.
“Some of the projects are the construction of Second Niger Bridge at Onitsha; construction of the dual carriageway of Abuja-Abaji-Lokoja (Sections I-IV) in FCT/Kogi State; construction of the Kano-Maiduguri dual carriage Road (Sections I-V) in Kano/Bauchi/Yobe/Borno states; and the rehabilitation of Enugu-Port Harcourt Dual Carriageway (Sections I-IV) in Enugu/Abia/Rivers states.
“(Others are) Rehabilitation/reconstruction of the Lagos-Shagamu-Ibadan Expressway in Lagos/Oyo states; construction of Loko-Oweto Bridge in Nasarawa/Benue states; reconstruction of outstanding sections of Benin-Ofosu-Ore-Sagamu Road in Edo/Ondo/Ogun states; rehabilitation of Odukpani-Itu-Ikot Ekpene Road section I: Odukpani-Itu Bridgehead; and rehabilitation of Ilorin-J’ebba-Mokwa Road.”
On the National Priority 2 category, Fashola said, the sum of N43, 143,299,357, which represents 17.84 percent, is proposed to execute “National Priority 2” projects in 2017.”
The roads will serve as links between the major routes and agricultural producing hubs, factories and mining deposits for the evacuation of agricultural produce, manufactured goods and raw materials to markets and ports across the country.
They are the dualisation of Sapele-Ewu Road in Delta/Edo states; dualisation of Lagos-Ota-Abeokuta Road in Lagos/Ogun states; rehabilitation of Hadejia-Nguru-Gashua-Bayamari road in Jigawa/Yobe states; and the rehabilitation of Ilorin-Kabba-Obajana Road in Kwara/Kogi states.
Others are the rehabilitation of Yola-Mubi Road; rehabilitation of Owerri-Umuahia Road in Imo/Abia states; dualisation of Yenagoa Road Junction-Kolo-Otuoke-Bayelsa Palm in Bayelsa State; and the rehabilitation of Damaturu-Biu Road.
While the National Priority 3 projects are specifically targeted at routes leading to the nation’s refineries, petroleum depots, major ports and mineral producing areas in the country to ease the movement of petroleum products and imported goods from the ports and depots to other parts of the country.
National Priority 4 projects covers “key agricultural states producing cash crops like yam, rice, maize, cassava, fruits, etc”, were categorized under “national priority 4” with objective of boosting “the production of these crops and ease their movement to markets. This is to enhance food sufficiency in the country and minimise losses.”
These include the rehabilitation of Sokoto-TambuwaI-Jega-Kontagora-Makera in Sokoto/Kebbi states; rehabilitation of Otukpo-9th Mile-Enugu-Port Harcourt dual carriageway in Benue/Enugu states; rehabilitation of Abakaliki-Afikpo Road in Ebonyi State; rehabilitation of Akure-Ondo Road in Ondo State; rehabilitation of Aba-Azumini-Opobo Road (Aba-Azumini section) in Abia State and rehabilitation of Wukari-Mutum Biyu-Jalingo-Numan Road Section I; Wukari-Mutum Biyu Road in Taraba State.
The Minister concluded, by applauding President Buhari for the 2017 budget blueprint, maintaining that it is capable of addressing the nation’s infrastructural deficits.
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