Bisola David
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ordered the commencement of palliative road projects in the 36 states and the federal capital territory to begin before December 1, 2023.
This was disclosed by the Federal Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, in response to the public’s growing concerns regarding the terrible conditions of several Federal roadways across the country.
The Ministry of Works published this information in an official statement on Monday, which is available on the ministry’s website.
The minister claimed that many poor road sections around the country, including the Makurdi-Nsukka 9th Mile Road, East-West Road, Lagos-Abeokuta Motorway, Benin bypass road, collapsed bridges in Enugu and Port Harcourt, collapsed bridges in Shandam-Plateau State, Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano road, and Gombe- Bauchi were left over to the current administration.
Umahi also revealed that N100 billion of the N300 billion given to the Ministry of Works for immediate palliative works in the 36 States and the Federal Capital Territory have been authorized by President Tinubu.
“Mr. President has ordered that while adhering to all legal procedures, work on those palliative projects must begin before December 1, 2023.
“The President has taken swift action and isolated the areas of the country’s roadways that the public has been complaining about on a regular basis in both the North and South. In fact, construction has begun on all of these highways. The public is able to verify our assertions and provide feedback,” Umahi continued.
Additionally, the Works Minister asked the public to support the Federal Ministry of Works and FERMA by monitoring the contractors involved in these palliative works as well as any other current government-funded projects.
“Every Nigerian has a right to receive value for their money invested in the road infrastructure sector, thus they should be enthusiastic and involved in all current projects run by the Federal Ministry of Works, FERMA, and other federal, state, and local governments.
“Any poorly built roads should be documented, along with the name of the contractor, the location, the type of contract, and any flaws found, and reported right away to 08030986263, 08037086137, or 08106423197.”
He claimed that the Federal Ministry of Works shall record these reports, confirm them, and take appropriate corrective action where necessary.
“Additionally, on a regular basis, the Federal Ministry of Works will officially acknowledge those who submitted sincere reports in a public interaction platform to be hosted quarterly by the Federal Ministry of Works and will sanction such erring contractors publicly too.”
