MINISTER of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, has blamed adverse weather especially rains for the poor conditions of roads in the country.
While speaking on the apparent lack of progress in road construction and rehabilitation in the country, he also argued that implementation of road projects is not a straight forward thing since it takes a process involving different ministries, banks, contractors, suppliers, among others.
Fashola was fielding questions from State House correspondents at the end of Wednesday’s meeting of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo at the presidential villa, Abuja.
Asked why much progress had not been visible despite the amounts of contracts he announces after every FEC meeting, he said: “When I come here to announce that a particular amount was approved for a contract that doesn’t mean the amount has been paid contrary to what you suggest.
“You are mindful also that minister of finance, different arms of government are escalating the fiscal challenges we face as a nation in trying to fund the budget.
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“You are also mindful that the last few budgets in Nigeria for almost 20 years have been deficit budgets and these are terminologies that are realities and I think we should not only acquaint ourselves with it but also educate the public.
“You must also be aware that between awarding a contract and also mobilising to site, there is a distance. First of all, we have to have an agreement, that is the relationship between the Ministry of Works or any other ministry, then there is a role that banks play, they have to give a guarantee.
“These are things that I would like to know if I was a correspondent in order to inform members of the public.
“Building materials – rocks, laterite, quarry, iron rods have to be ordered. Construction companies don’t keep them. The process of producing blasting rocks requires approval from the office of Ministers of Justice and even the office of the NSA to get approval to get dynamite. All of these are the things that go on.
“So, the point that I am making to you is that there is a distance between approval, implementation, actual construction and the result.
“The other point I wish to make to you also is that the problem of the other places you talk about – Warri, Benin – Sapele road and the South East. First of all, you must understand that those places don’t stand in isolation. The Niger Delta is the lungs of Nigeria, that is a rain forest. It’s a high water table area.
“These problems are not as pronounced now in January and February. The reason is it is the dry season of the year. This is the raining season, it’s weather conditions, and there is no country in the world that doesn’t face transport challenges in extreme weather.
“In some places, when it’s winter and snow they cancel a flight, they also cancel rail programmes. In some places, it’s typhoons, hurricanes while in some places you can’t even come out.
“So, this is the season, we are just getting to the end of the raining season. Flood will affect road, we have seen cities submerged, we’ve seen infrastructure blown up in other parts of the world. It’s one world, it’s the same planet. This is our own time to experience it. It’s moving out of Nigeria now and going somewhere else.
“So, what we experienced this year is not unusual, it’s not a good time to be in the transport system. We also want this season to quickly end so that we can go back to work during the dry season.”
Fashola affirmed that arrangement had been made for remedial actions on some major roads in view of the anticipated end of year movement by commuters.
The minister added: “You know that we have the ember months preparation, the team has already started work. We would be working with law enforcement, we would be working with FRSC and we would be working with our contractors.
“The plan is, in places where they have not yet constructed, they should make palliative so that the heavy traffic movement during the end of the year is manageable and it will reduce the inconvenience of our commuters.”
Meanwhile, FEC has approved the contract for the construction of Bida-Sachi-Nupeko road and the Nupeko-Patigi bridge across River Niger, linking Nupeko and Patigi in Niger and Kwara States at the sum of N58.488 billion.
Fashola said the project will link Niger and Kwara as well as facilitate connectivity from southwest to the north-central and the north of Nigeria.
The Minister explained that it is an old contract initially awarded in 2013, but terminated for non-performance, revaluation and awarded.
“It didn’t have a bridge then so we have added the bridge now and approved N58.488 billion and it is expected to take 30 months to complete,” he added.
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