Finance ministry releases N300bn for repairs of 330 roads, bridges

The federal ministry of finance has released the sum of N300 billion for the emergency repairs of 330 roads and bridges across the country.

Minister of Works, Dave Umahi who revealed this at the end of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting at the presidential villa in Abuja on Tuesday, said he will provide the details next week.

”Let me announce that the 330 emergency repairs of roads and bridges across the country valued at over 500 billion is about 80 per cent completed and the ministry of finance has fully released 300 billion for the projects and we are going to publish by next week the full details and the level of completion,” he said.

He also announced the council’s approval for variation in the cost of several ongoing road and bridge projects across the country including for the construction of the Umulungbe-Umuoka road in Enugu State reviewed from N6.245billion to N8.85billion, about N2.6 billion addition.

Also reviewed upwards is the repair of the Iganmu bridge in Lagos State from N1.16 billion to N2.229 billion.

Similarly, the dualization of the Calabar to Udopkani roads to Itu road in Cross River State was changed from flexible pavement to rigid pavement, dualized with improved soft structure engagement and reviewed from N79.649 billion to N118.412 billion.

Umahi added that FEC also approved the immediate procurement of full rehabilitation of the road in the Katsina-Dustsinma-Maraban road in Katsina State.

He said projects were being reviewed based on the current exchange rate of the naira, adding: “We did say we will not review projects, some of these projects were inherited, some have been on for 11 years and this administration is determined to cut short such length of project time.

“I had a case of a project that was reviewed the second Niger Bridge and we had to redesign it, and some elements of the contract that were procured about five years ago were still higher than the present market value, so we had to review the price downwards and the contractor is complaining and we are determined to terminate the contract if he does not accept it.

“Our review is based on the situation of the Naira, increase in construction materials, removal of subsidy. We are also reviewing based on if we have enough money in the budget and other funding mechanisms.”

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