By Harry Awurumibe, Editor Abuja Bureau
Determined to improve the nation’s road infrastructure, the Federal Executive Council (FEC)
presided over by Vice President Professor Yemi Osinbajo on Wednesday approved that the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) deploy tax resources to rehabilitate 21 roads covering the total distance of 1,804.6 kilometers across the six geopolitical zones of the country.
This was revealed by Works and Housing Minister, Babatunde Raji Fashola while briefing State House Correspondents after the weekly FEC meeting at Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Fashola who also gave the update in rehabilitation and construction of roads infrastructure across the country disclosed that his ministry tendered two contracts memoranda relating to roads, adding that one was with regard to the section of Calabar- Ikom-Ogoja road.
Fashola has revealed that the second memorandum which his ministry presented and got approval relates to the road infrastructure tax credit scheme.
The Works and Housing Minister’s interaction went thus:
“You recall that policy Executive Order Seven signed by Mr. President allowing private sector operators to identify infrastructure such as roads for which you deploy your taxes in advance with tax and pay”.
“So you recall that I had briefed you here about the use of that policy like the Dangote Group from Obajana to Kabba, Apapa to Oworoshoki”.
“Earlier this year, there were five other roads, the Kaduna Western bypass, the Lekki Port road, the road from Shagamu through Papalanto and couple of others and there is one road in Maiduguri. That was approved about like N320 something billion”.
“So today, we have another player. We have all the interested players who are still showing interest but we haven’t concluded. We have another player who has shown interest and committed to deploy taxes. It’s the government corporation known as NNPC.
“So NNPC has identified 21 roads that it wants to deploy. So now the instructive thing about this is that this initiative helps government to achieve many things, including Ministerial Mandates three and four, which we discussed at the last retreat”.
“Ministerial Mandates Three and Four, if you recall was energy sufficiency, electric power and petroleum energy distribution across th country. Of course petroleum energy distribution is being impacted positively and negatively, as the case may be the transport infrastructure, which is the Ministerial Mandate Four”.
“So NNPC has sought and Council has approved today that NNPC deployed tax resources to 21 road covering the total distance of 1,804.6 kilometers across the Six geopolitical zones”.
“Out of those 21 roads, nine are in North Central, particularly Niger state. And the reason is that Niger State is a major storage center for NNPC. So the reason NNPC is doing this is to facilitate the total distribution across the country. We have seen and have heard every year Niger State gridlock, the Governor complaning that his roads are being damaged by trucks, by those who overload the trucks after damaging the roads themselves now protest the damage that they sometimes have induced. Anyway, this is the final solution to that problem”.
“So there are nine like that North central, there are three in the North East. Two in the northwest, two in the South East, three roads, the entire Odupani-Itu- Ikot-Ekpene road in LOT 1, 2 and 3 now fully covered”.
“Then in the Southwest, you have the Lagos-Badagry Expressway the entire junction and you also have the Ibadan to Ilorin in Oyo-Ogbumosho section. So that’s it”.
“In the South East you have Aba-Ikot Ekpene in Abia and Akwa Ibom states. So that’s a major link, then you have Umuahia to Ikwuamo to Ikot- Ekpene road and so on and so forth”.
“In the Northwest, it is Gada-Zaima-Zuru- Gamji road, and also Zaria-Funtau -Gusau-Sokoto road”.
“In the North-East, it is Cham-Bali Serti and Gombe-Biu road. The roads impacted in north central include Ilorin-Jebba-
Mokwa-Bokani sections I and II, Suleja-Minna sections I and II, Bida-Lambatta, and then Agaie-Katcha-Baro road. Then Mokwa-Makera-Tegina-Kaduna all in Niger State”.
“So, as I said a total of 21 roads. what will happen as a result of this is that there will be no financing problems with regarding the execution of these roads anymore. So, some of these roads that I have mentioned, let me tell you, what has changed”.
“For example, Aba-Ikot Ekpene road has an estimate of about N30.33,399 billion to complete it. The provision in the budget this year is only N200 million. If you look at Suleja-Minna road section II, it has N25.763 billion to complete it”.
“The provision in the budget this year is just N100 million. So, with this intervention, all those roads now will be fully funded, we don’t have budgetry challenges and financing challenges. So, council approved this as a strategic funding these roads”.
Below are the NNPC 21 roads as presented by Fashola:
- Dualization of Ilorin-Jebba-Mokwa/ Bokani Junction road Section 1: Illorin-Jebba, Kwara State C/NO. 6468. 110.8km
- Dualization of Ilorin, Jebba-Mokwa/Bokani junction Road Section II: Jebba-Mokwa-Bokani junction in Kwara and Niger states. C/NO.6469. 46 km
- Dualization of Suleja-Minna road, Niger state. C/O. 6077. 40km
- Dualization of Suleja-Minna Road, Niger State PhaseII (Km 40+000-101+000) C/NO.6267. 61km
- Reconstruction of Bida-Lambata Road, Niger state C/NO.6372. 125km
- Agaie-Katcha-Baro Road, Niger State 52.3km
- Emergency repairs of failed section of Mokwa-Makera-Tagina-Kaduna state border in Niger state. 164km
- Minna-Zungeru minna-Zungeru-Tagina road, Niger state. 90km
- Bida-Minna road, Niger state. 791.1km
Northeast:
- Rehabilitation of Cham-Numan section of Gombe-Yola road in Adamawa state. 46.35km
- Construction of Bali-Serti road in Taraba state. 110km
- Rehabilitation of Gombe-Biu road in Gombe/Borno state. 117km
Northwest:
- Rehabilitation of outstanding sections of Gada-Zaima-Zuru-Gamji road Phase II in Kebbi State 62km.
- Rehabilitation of Zaria-Funtua-Gusau-Sokoto-Birnin Kebbi. 221.5km
South East:
- Dualization of Aba-Ikot Ekpene road in Abia/Akwa Ibom states. 73km
- Rehabilitation of Umuahia (Ikwuano)-Ikot Ekpene road: Umuahia-Umudike in Abia state. 49km
South South:
- Rehabilitation of Odukpani-Itu-Ikot Ekpene road in Cross River state Section I: Odukpani-Itu Bridge Head in Cross River/Akwa Ibom states. 21.9km
- Dualization of outstanding portion of Odukpani-Itu-Ikot Ekpene: lot 2. 32km
- Dualization of Oku-Iboku Power Plant Section of the Odukpani-Itu-Ikot-Ekpene road in Cross River/Akwa Ibom state. 28km
South West:
- Rehabilitation and expansion of Lagos-Badagry Expressway (Agbara Junction-Nigeria/Benin border) in Lagos State. 62km
- Dualization of Ibadan-Ilorin road (Route A2) Section II in Oyo State (Oyo-Ogbomosho). 52km
Grand Total===N621.237Billion.
