Kwara State Governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed says the state government is to spend over N8b on federal roads in the state as soon as appropriate approval is received from the federal government, having already intervened on other federal roads at the cost of N7b.
Governor Ahmed stated this on Thursday at the opening ceremony of the 19th National Council on Works hold at the Banquet Hall of Government House, Ilorin.
Governor Ahmed who also emphasized the need for strong synergy between Federal Government and other tiers of government in the maintenance and rehabilitation of roads across the country, called for high quality standards in the maintenance of roads and infrastructural facilities across the country. According to him, “my administration places premium attention on road construction and rehabilitation for the economic growth of the State”.
The Governor said the state government initiated and completed about 400km of roads in the last two years, while about 500km of roads are currently on-going across the three senatorial districts of the state.
In his remarks, the Minister of Works, Mike Onolememen said the theme of this year’s council meeting, “Reforming the Road Sector for Sustainable Development” was designed to focus attention on the need to improve the road infrastructure in Nigeria for economic growth.
Onolememen said this was in line with the transformation agenda of the present administration which seeks to deliver better and safer roads to Nigerians.
According to him, “far reaching decisions were taken at the last council of works to set the platform for the Ministry of Works to revolutionalise the road sector for economic development for the nation”.
The Minister added that two draft-bills for the creation of the federal road authority and National Road fund arising from the Ministry’s road sector reform committee’s report have been approved by the National Council on privatization and would be presented to the Federal Executive Council for approval.
Onolememen said the Ministry was working with relevant government agencies and private sector organisations to ensure that the National tolling policy was in place before the end of this year towards achieving private sector financed road infrastructure in the country.
