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Tag: Federal Roads

  • Ajimobi seeks refund of N33b spent on federal roads

    Oyo State Governor Abiola Ajimobi yesterday urged the Federal Government to pay the outstanding N33 billion his administration spent on federal roads in the state.

    Ajimobi spoke at the Government House in Ibadan, the capital, during a visit to the state by Minister of State for Power, Works and Housing II, Hassan Zarma.

    The visit was part of an inspection of federal infrastructural projects in Southwest.

    The governor noted that considering the essence of good roads to development of the economy, his administration spent the first four years executing road projects across the state.

    Represented by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Alhaji Olalekan Ali, the governor said access roads in the three senatorial districts were dualised during the period.

    He added that the roads will attract foreign and local investments, which are expected to create jobs and improve lives of residents.

    Ajimobi said: “We plead with you to use your good office to credit us N33 billion we spent on federal road projects in the first four years of this administration.”

    The governor named other federal roads, such as Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Oyo-Ogbomosho road and Oke-Ogun road, saying they required urgent intervention.

    On the request for land title and additional land allocation for phase two of the National Housing Programme, Ajimobi said the requests had been approved.

    He said: “The documentation, in terms of land title, is ready. The additional land for second phase of the project has been approved by the state government.”

    The minister hailed Oyo State government for its strong partnership in delivering dividends of democracy to the people.

    Zarma noted that infrastructure projects across the state were at different stages of completion.

    The minister restated the commitment of the Muhammadu Buhari administration to fulfilling its promises.

    He added that the request for land title on allocated land became important to enable owners legally take ownership.

  • Ajimobi seeks refund of N33bn spent on federal roads

    The Oyo State Governor, Sen. Abiola Ajimobi Wednesday appealed to the Federal Government to consider payment of outstanding N33 billion spent on federal roads in the state.

    Ajimobi made the call during official visit of the Minister of State for Power Works and Housing II, Surv Hassan Zarma to the Government Office.

    The visit was part of inspection tour of federal infrastructure projects being executed in the South-West.

    The Governor said considering pivotal importance of good roads to developing the economy, he spent his first four years in office executing massive road projects across the state.

    Represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Alh. Olalekan Ali, the governor said all access roads in the three Senatorial District were dualised during the period.

    Read Also:Ajimobi swears in three customary court of Appeal judges

    He added that the road projects would attract both foreign and local investments which is expected to create jobs and better lots of the people.

    “We plead to use your good office to credit us N33 billion we spent on federal road projects in the first four years of this administration.”

    The Governor identified other federal roads such as Lagos-Ibadan expressway, Oyo-Ogbomosho road, Oke-Ogun road all seeking urgent interventions.

    Speaking on request for land title and additional land allocation for phase two of the National Housing Programme, Ajimobi said the requests were already approved.

    “The documentation in terms of land title is ready. The additional land for second phase of the project has been approved by the state government,” he added.

    Earlier, the Minister commended Oyo State government for its strong partnership in delivering dividends of democracy to the people.

    Zarma noted that infrastructure projects across the state were at different stages of completion.

    He restated commitment of the current administration to fulfilling its promises adding that request for land title on the already allocated land became important to legally take its ownership.

  • Federal roads

    Federal roads

    • Govt should fund Lagos-Ibadan road and 2nd Niger Bridge to accelerate devt

    Minister of Works, Power, and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, has asked the Senate to provide full funding for rehabilitation of the Lagos-Ibadan highway, instead of urging the Federal Government to seek private funding that may not be readily available. Currently, work is suspended on West Africa’s busiest road that connects Lagos ports to all regions of the country, because the National Assembly has slashed allocation for the project and failed to approve government’s request for needed virement.

    Neglect of the road has been on-and-off since 1999 when former President Olusegun Obasanjo chose to mend cracks on it, instead of rehabilitating and extending it to meet demand for increase in population of road users that had quadrupled since the highway was built. This neglect lasted until 2013, when during preparation for 2015 presidential election former President Goodluck Jonathan apologised to the people of the Southwest for the failure of his government to fix the road.

    In consonance with President Muhammadu Buhari’s election campaign to focus on infrastructure, N40billion was voted in 2016 for rehabilitation of the 127-kilometre road by two contractors; Julius Berger and RCC. Unfortunately, only N28 billion was released out of which N13 billion was to pay debt owed contractors. In 2017, the Federal Government voted N31.5 billion for the project. But the National Assembly reduced this to N10billion, a far cry from what was needed to pay what was owed to contractors. For the past one year, no substantial work has been done on the road while many lives had been lost because of the sorry state of the road used to transport 300,000 passengers daily and about 70% of haulage into and out of Lagos to other parts of the country.

    To say the least, it is baffling that in 2018, the Senate is still temporising on fixing the highway that connects Nigeria’s commercial and cultural capital to the rest of the country and to Niger Republic. Shouldn’t it have been apparent to the lawmakers that the Lagos-Ibadan highway is not a Southwest road? Lagos-Ibadan is a road for users from all regions of the country, bringing cattle and other farm produce from the north to Lagos and carrying petroleum products and other goods to the north and other regions. It is a no brainer that infrastructure is about facilitation of economic and social links rather than compensation for political favours.

    Universally, infrastructure is seen for what it is: an economic intervention in a country’s life. There is no good reason for the National Assembly to continue to frustrate right policies designed to unify the country and improve its economy. Such acts are essentially capable of sabotaging the country’s progress, more so at a time that Nigeria is at the initial stage of a long overdue economic diversification. In the same manner, the lawmakers ought to know that there is no reason to delay funds for construction of the 2nd Niger Bridge.

    We urge the Senate to provide full funding required to make Lagos-Ibadan highway the economic asset it is supposed to be. Further delay will lead to higher cost of fixing the road, just as failure to rehabilitate the road 20 years ago had increased the cost phenomenally today. To continue delay of work on the road is to deliberately subject citizens to avoidable death, hardship, and waste of scarce resources. A country that is sincerely looking for foreign investment should not keep its most important road in a state that can scare investors. Senators who are asking for increase in their own budget allocation ought not to frustrate allocation of funds for a project that is bound to make movement of persons and goods easier and safer.

    President Buhari’s recent promise that revenue from excess crude account “will be deployed to infrastructure projects like roads, rail, and power, for the  good of our people, and for the development of the country” could not have come at a better time. We implore the Senate to take advantage of the president’s pledge by providing full funding for the Lagos-Ibadan Road and the 2nd Niger Bridge, two crucial engines for economic and social development. The sooner contractors return to site, the better for the country’s economy and safety of citizens.

     

  • Reps to FG: Declare state of emergency in dilapidated Federal Roads

    Reps to FG: Declare state of emergency in dilapidated Federal Roads

    The House of Representatives Thursday urged the federal government to declare a state of emergency on dilapidated Federal roads in the country and initiate measures to rehabilitate them.

    The lawmakers also mandated its committee on Works to ascertain the status of the federal roads across the country, the contracts awarded for their rehabilitation, the budgeted sums and state of execution from 2007 till date.

    The committee is to report back to the House within twelve weeks for further legislative action.

    The resolution of the House was sequel to the passage of a motion by a member, Segun Adekola and Afe Olowookere titled: “Need to declare a state of emergency on rehabilitation of federal roads across the country.”

    While moving the motion, Adekola noted the dilapidated state of most federal roads that link all parts of the federation, a situation which he said, is a source of concern to the citizens.

    “The budgetary allocation for rehabilitation/ maintenance of the roads are usually less than forty- five (45) percent, whereas road infrastructure deficit was estimated in 2015 at N2 trillion,” he said.

    He added that the absence of a railway system covering the length of the country makes road transportation the most widely available means of movement from one part of the country to another, which in the process exact immense toil on the road network.

    “The zero budgeting system being implemented by the federal government is hampering effective rehabilitation and construction of roads in the country given that there is no alternative means of funding this critical sector.”

    He expressed concern by the absence of public private partnership scheme and the failure of successive administrations to prioritize road construction and maintenance ” such that practically  all federal roads like Owo-Ikare-Kabba, Ikare- Omuo- Kabba, Ipele- Kabba,Isua- Ibilo-Okene, Okene- Obajana, Abuja-Lokoja- Okene, Lagos- Ibadan expressway, Okigwe- Umuahia, Enugu- Awka- Onitsha etc are at various states of disrepair.”

    The lawmaker said it was worrisome that commuters are having harrowing experiences in the roads in form of accidents and attacks by hoodlums who rob and kill at will on the roads.

    When the Speaker, Hon. Yakubu Dogara called for a vote on the motion, it passed through without dissent.

  • Give us federal roads, says Amosun

    Give us federal roads, says Amosun

    Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun yesterday urged the Federal Government to hand over all federal roads in the state to ensure proper repair and maintenance.

    The governor said this after an executive council meeting.

    He said 70 per cent of products in circulation are being transported by heavy trucks through the the Sagamu/Ogijo road.

    According to him, the state spends an average of N400 million monthly on federal roads every rainy season.

    Amosun said the Federal Government owes the state N124 billion for the repairs and assured that on – going projects would be completed.

    “We realise we have two years left and  have remobilised our contractors back on site,” he said.

     

  • FG to raise bonds to settle states on federal roads

    FG to raise bonds to settle states on federal roads

    The federal government will raise bonds to refund billions states spent on rehabilitating federal roads in their domains, Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola declared yesterday.
    He spoke in Enugu during a courtesy call on Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, who appealed to the federal government to refund over N25 billion Enugu State expended in rehabilitating the federal roads.
    Fashola, who was in Enugu to inspect some federal roads, stated the federal government had carefully assessed the various claims by affected states and has concluded arrangement to refund the money through bonds.
    He said: “The plan of the federal government is to issue bonds to pay those monies and then we pay the bonds back overtime.”
    He urged the state to assist the contractors handling federal roads to secure the right of way, informing that they have been re mobilised to sites.
    Ugwuanyi, represented by his deputy, Mrs. Cecilia Ezeilo, regretted the neglect of the federal roads in the South East.
    This, he said, necessitated the intervention of the State government in rehabilitating some of the federal roads in her domain.
    He said the hardship suffered by road users leaves much to be desired and requested the federal government to hasten actions in fixing the remaining roads.
    The governor said the refund of over N25billion the state spent on rehabilitating federal roads will assist in other critical areas of needs.

  • ‘Federal roads in Niger not motorable’

    ‘Federal roads in Niger not motorable’

    The Niger State government has urged the Federal Government to revisit dilapidated federal roads in the state.

    Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Jonathan Tsado Vatsa, who spoke after a tour of the roads yesterday, said the government should put the roads in order, especially the Agaie, Katcha Baro road, which was re-awarded last year.

    “The over 30km road which cost the Federal Government about N17.5 billion, was expected to be completed by January as the contract was re-awarded in January 2015.

    “But the roads have been abandoned. So, we want the Federal Government to visit Niger State because presently, no federal road is motorable.

    We cannot allow further delay in putting these facilities into use. Government’s idea is to open up the economy of the North through the Baro Port.

    “The road, if completed, will be the gateway from Baro Inland Port and would open the economy of the North to other parts of the country.

    “The N17.5 billion was part of the N470 billion approved in December 2014 by the Federal Executive Council for different contracts for the construction and rehabilitation of 17 roads and bridges across the country,” he said.

     

     

     

  • Saraki: Senate’ll assist Ebonyi recover money spent on Federal roads

    Saraki: Senate’ll assist Ebonyi recover money spent on Federal roads

    President of the Senate Bukola Saraki has assured the Ebonyi State government that the Senate will help recover the N26 billion it spent on renovating Federal roads.

    Saraki spoke at Christ the King Catholic Church, Nkalagu, Ishielu Local Government Area during a thanksgiving service for the Chairman, Senate Committee on Sports, Senator Obinna Ogba.

    He called on Nigerians, irrespective of political and religious affiliations, to support President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration in building the country.

    The senate president promised that the Senate will continue to pass bills that would positively touch the lives of all citizens.

    He lauded the state government for constructing some federal roads to alleviate the people’s suffering, promising to ensure that the money spent on the projects was recovered from the Federal Government.

    Governor Dave Umahi urged the Federal Government to refund the money, stressing that the state needs it to tackle other developmental challenges.

    Umahi said the state would soon write to the National Assembly that Ebonyi state be included in the list of states to be assisted for its Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).

    He explained that many of its indigenes have been displaced following the crisis that rocked it and the neighbouring Benue, Enugu, Abia and Cross River states.

  • NUPENG calls for repair of federal roads

    NUPENG calls for repair of federal roads

    The National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) yesterday urged the Federal Government to rehabilitate federal roads to ease transportation of petroleum products.

    Alhaji Tokunbo Korodo, NUPENG’s Southwest Chairman made the appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.

    Korodo said the rehabilitation would reduce unnecessary delay of tanker drivers, who lose much time before getting products to their final destinations.

    “Most federal roads have become death traps and this is causing accidents to our tanker drivers;

    Oshodi-Apapa Express Road, Okene-Lokoja and Owo-Akoko roads are in deplorable conditions.

    “Government should ensure that these roads are repaired this year to ease movement of vehicles plying the roads,” he said.

    The chairman urged the Federal Government to  protect NNPC pipelines from vandals.

    He said this would return normal loading activities at abandoned NNPC depots nationwide.

    Korodo also sought a reduction in contract staffing and job security for workers in the oil and gas industry.

    The chairman said the union would help the government in making Nigerians smile.

    He urged the Department of Petroleum Resources to withdraw or cancel the licence of independent marketers frustrating its efforts.

  • Federal roads being fixed in Abia

    Federal roads being fixed in Abia

    The Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) has started repairing failed portions of the Ikot Ekpene/Umuahia as well as other federal roads in Abia State.

    Inspecting the progress of work at Umudike, FERMA Zonal Coordinator, Southeast, Mr Adebayo Adedayo, an engineer, said that remedial work on failed portions will continue till bad roads are made good again across the country.

    The FERMA zonal coordinator urged that people should desist from destroying roads by building speed breakers on them.

    Adedayo maintained that the repairs will continue to Ikot Ekpene in Akwa Ibom State, urging road users to bear with them.

    The Abia State Resident Engineer of FERMA, Abraham Akange said that all the materials they are using to work are tested at their zonal laboratory.

    Akange said people should alert FERMA whenever they notice failing portions on the roads, urging motorists to avoid speeding.

    He cautioned people against building on the roads or on drainages, stressing that such are the things that help to destroy the roads whenever waste water gets on the roads.

    One of the commuters, a driver with Goshen transport, Godstime commended the management of FERMA for their good works on the federal highway, which he said will make their work easier.

    Godstime said that whenever the roads are in good condition that there are fewer accidents on the roads and urged them to move faster to cover other bad spots on the highway.

    Another commuter who is a research fellow with the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, A. A. Ikoro said that people have been expecting FERMA to commence their rainy season road repair and is happy that they have started.