·
Every State including FCT has at least 3
ongoing Highway, Bridge projects being executed by FG
·
80 Projects prioritized, to enhance ease of
doing business
·
Projects include 27 Sovereign SUKUK Funded,
47 scheduled for substantial completion in 2020/2021, 4 major bridges and 2
roads leading to the ports
·
Also 43 Federal Tertiary institutions
benefiting from the rehabilitation of internal roads, 10 already completed
The Minister of Works and
Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola SAN, has updated the Federal Executive Council
on the ongoing road and bridge construction/rehabilitation projects nationwide,
highlighting 80 of them as priority projects scheduled for completion in the
2020-2021 fiscal year.
Fashola, who gave the updates
in a presentation, he made before the Council, said a total of 524 roads and
bridge projects were currently going on across the country adding that every
State in the Federation including the FCT has at least three such ongoing
projects.
He listed those on priority to include 27 financed with
Sovereign SUKUK Fund, 47 scheduled for substantial completion in 2020/2021 and
other priority projects, two roads leading to the ports and four major bridges.
Giving reasons for the
prioritization of the 80 projects, the Minister who explained that it would
improve the ease of doing business in the country, declared, “The projects on
completion will bring about reduced travel time, lower vehicle operating costs
and improve the comfort of road users as well as improve the ease of doing
business in the country and ultimately boost the Nigerian Economy”.
He noted that Federal roads and bridges (categorized from A1 to
A9) are major arterial routes that connect all states in Nigeria including the
Federal Capital Territory, adding that the routes and bridges linked cities
with high economic activities and carried majority of Heavy Goods Vehicles
which gradually dispersed through the link routes to different parts of the
country.
The Minister listed the roads
to include Lagos-Ibadan-Ilorin-Jebba-Kotangora-Jega-Sokoto-Niger Border as A1;
Warri-Benin-Lokoja-Abuja-Kaduna-Kano-Daura-Niger Border as A2; Port
Harcourt-Aba-Umuahia-Okigwe-Oturkpo-Makurdi-Akwanga-Jos-Bauchi-Maiduguri-Gamboru
as A3 and Calabar-Ikom-Ogoja-Katsina Ala-Jalingo-Yola-Bama-Maiduguri as A4.
Also listed are
Lagos-Otta-Abeokuta-Ibadan as A5; Onitsha-Ihiala-Owerri—A.3 Junction at Umu Uyo
as A6; Chikanda, Kosubosu-Kaiama-Kishi-Ilorin as A7; Mayo
Belwa-Ganye-Serti-Mayo Selbe-Gembu as A8 and Jibiya-Katsina-Kano as A9.
Prioritized road projects
being funded through the Sovereign SUKUK Fund, Fashola said, include
Abuja-Abaji Road(Section 1, International Airport Link Road Junction-Sheda
Village Junction), Abuja-Lokoja Road Section IV (Koton Karfi-Lokoja),
Dualisation of Obajana Junction-Benin Phase 2: Section 1 (Obajana Junction to
Okene), Construction of Oju/Loko-Oweto Bridge to Link Loko and Oweto with
approach roads, Reconstruction of Bida-Lambata Road in Niger State and
Dualization of Suleja-Minna Road Phase 11 in Niger State.
They also include
Kano-Maiduguri Road (Section ii, iii and iv), rehabilitation of outstanding
section of Onitsha-Enugu Expressway: Amansea- Enugu State Border, Dualization
Of Obajana Junction-Benin Phase 2: (Section ii, iii and iv), Rehabilitation of
Enugu-Port Harcourt Road Section iv: Aba-Port Harcourt, and Dualization Of
Yenegwe Road Junction-Kolo-Otuoke-Bayelsa Palm (20km).
Others include Dualization of Ibadan-Ilorin (Section ii) in Oyo
State, reconstruction of the outstanding Sections of Beni-Ofosu-Ore-Ajebandele-Shagamu
Expressway Phase iii, pavement strengthening and asphalt overlay of Ajebandele-
Ijebu Ode-Shagamu Road in Ogun State.
Some of the projects
scheduled for substantial completion in 2020/2021 and other priority projects,
according to the Minister, include rehabilitation of Alesi-Ugep
(Iyamoyung-Ugep) section in Cross River State, construction of
Yenegwe-Okaki-Kolo-Nembe-Brass Road and completion of rehabilitation of
Ada-Okere-Ukoni-Amedokhiom Old Road, Uromi, Edo State.
Also included are the rehabilitation of Odukpani-Itu-Ikot Ekpene
Road in (Section i) and Odukpani-Itu Bridge Head in Cross River State,
construction of Bodo-Bonny Road with a bridge across the Opobo Channel, in
Rivers State, rehabilitation of Odukpani Junction-Akpet Central Section of
Calabar-Ikom-Ogoja Road in Cross River State, rehabilitation of Oshogbo-Ilesha
Road in Osun State, Dualization of Abeokuta-Ibadan Road, and reconstruction of
Apapa-Wharf Road in Lagos State, among others.
The four bridges under the
priority projects are the construction of Ibi Bridge, completion of construction of
Chanchangi Bridge along Takum-Wukari Road in Taraba State, construction of Ikom
Bridge in Cross River State and emergency rehabilitation/maintenance of Third
Mainland Bridge in Lagos, while the two roads leading to ports are the
construction of Agaie-Katcha-Barro Road in Niger State and construction of Baro
Port to Gulu Town in Niger State.
The brief also provided a
detailed record of ongoing road and bridge projects in the 36 states of the
Federation and the Federal Capital Territory.
Some of the tertiary
institutions where the Ministry is currently intervening on roads, according to
the report, include the University of Benin where work is ongoing on the
rehabilitation and Asphalt Overlay/construction of Reinforced Concrete Drains
and Kerbs and Asphatic Surfacing of three Car parks of 1.1KM Internal Road.
Similar work include the
ongoing Rehabilitation and Asphalting at Bayero University, Kano State, Federal
University Oye Ekiti, Ekiti State, University of Maiduguri, in Borno State,
Federal University Lokoja, Kogi State, Federal College of Education, Katsina,
Katsina State, Federal University of Technology, Owerri and the University
College Hospital, Ibadan, Oyo State.
Others include Kaduna Polytechnic, Kaduna State, Internal Road
at Federal University Gashua, Yobe State and rehabilitation and asphalt overlay
of 2.3 km Internal Road at Federal University Otuoke, Bayelsa State, among
others.
The Minister, however, told
Council that in order to accomplish the objective of completing the prioritized
projects in scheduled time, an additional N255.6 billion would be needed to
close the funding gap for the projects pointing out that the amount was the
difference between the appropriation for the project in the 2020 Budget, which
stands N157.05 billion and the actual estimate for the completion of the
projects which stands at N412.64 billion.
Elombah.com
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