MINISTER of Works, Power and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola has called for deepened cooperation between the federal government and state governments in accomplishing FG projects in states, pointing out that the federal government was not in competition with any state government.
Fashola who made this remark upon his courtesy call on Oyo state governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, at governor’s office, Ibadan, on Friday, stated that the federal government embarked on projects with a view to assisting every state government to achieve their economic and socio-political objectives.
He, therefore, urged state governments to effectively collaborate with federal controllers of works, power and housing in their states.
“The federal controller of Works and Housing are the ambassadors of the federal government in the states. I want the cooperation between state governments and the federal government to deepen because the federal government is not in competition with any state government. Its purpose is to assist every state government to achieve their own objectives (economic, social, political, and cultural) within the framework of the Nigerian constitution. So, I urge your government to treat our federal controller the way you treat ambassador from other countries because their purpose is to serve.”
“Our purpose as federal government as regards intervention in roads is to help state governments connect to one another and to increase the efficiency of movement of goods and persons in the country, within the states,” Fashola said.
Speaking in light of his visit to inspect 11 ongoing road projects in Oyo state, Fashola noted that federal government’s roads’ interventions was to enable state governments connect to one another and to increase the efficiency of movement of goods and persons across states.
He hinted of progress at sites of ongoing road projects to include the Ogbomoso-Oko-Ilogbo-Osogbo road, Ibadan-Ilorin road, section two of Lagos-Ibadan expressway, Abeokuta-Bakatari-Ibadan dualisation, following provision of funding for the contractors.
In further remarks, he appreciated state governments’ intervention on federal roads, assuring of due refunds.
“We acknowledge and thank state governments like yours for interventions on federal roads and we are mindful that there are outstanding liabilities to the state government. My ministry is coordinating the process of ensuring that refunds are made. The Debt Management Office, Ministry of Budget, Ministry of Finance is working to structure a financing and settlement option to be approved by the federal government,” Fashola said.
Fashola who earlier in the day commissioned 100 housing units in Ogbomoso, asserted the commitment of the federal government to accomplish 1,000 housing units across the country.
He specifically appealed to Oyo state to key into projects by the federal mortgage bank under the National Housing Fund programme.
On power, he reiterated efforts of the federal government to increase power to the grid and to states, by extension.
Federal controller of works in the state, Mr Anya Omerekpe, in his remarks, stated that the 11 ongoing federal government projects amounted to 1,156 kilometres in Oyo state.
Responding, Governor Abiola Ajimobi granted Fashola’s request for 10 hectares of land for building more housing units in the state.
Noting that the state was strategically positioned as a pathway linking several regions of the country, Ajimobi prayed for the actualisation of federal government infrastructural projects in the state.