By Harry Awurumibe, Editor, Abuja Bureau
Two more signature projects of the Muhammadu Buhari administration, the Second Niger Bridge and Lagos-Ibadan Expressway will be delivered to Nigerians before the end of 2022 while others like the Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano Highway will be completed before May 29, 2023 handover date to the next administration.
This assurance was given in Abuja on Thursday by the Minister of Works and Housing Babatunde Raji Fashola at the Special Weekly Briefing coordinated by the Presidential Communications Team at the Press Gallery of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Fashola who dwelt more on the current status of the Presidential Infrastructure Development Fund (PIDF)) and other major projects being undertaken by the Ministry of Works and Housing also used the forum to provide further updates on key collaborations between the Federal Government and the State Governments in the implementation of some of the major reforms being executed by the Ministry and the PIDF.
According to the Minister him the massive roads infrastructural development projects being implemented by the Federal Government through the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing is funded through the Presidential Infrastructure Development Fund (PIDF) in conjunction with the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA).
The Minister stated that the PIDF which is the brainchild of President Muhammadu Buhari and which was created to warehouse recovered money stolen from federal government coffers in the previous regimes are being put in good use to fund the massive infrastructural projects being executed by the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing.
Some of these projects he said include the Lagos-Shagamu-Ibadan Expressway; Second Niger Bridge and the N700 billion Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano Expressway which he said is the biggest road project in Nigeria, adding that work is progressing well on the four-lane 375 kilometer road despite the insecurity being experienced on the road.
On the much talked about Second Niger Bridge, Fasholas said: “the Second Niger Bridge project is no longer going to be used as a political campaign because it has become a reality, thanks to President Buhari. Work is almost completed on the project as the contractors are working round the clock to deliver it on time. Those who are in doubt should go there to see for themselves. We ‘ve been having monthly meetings of PIDF on Second Niger Bridge to ensure that the job is delivered”.
The Minister insists that not much work is remaining to complete the project, arguing that: “only two items of work including the 16 Toll Plaza and some access roads to the bridge are remaining. So, I am saying that only two items are left to complete the bridge and these will be done soon. The access roads have been set in phases with Phase 2A from Anambra state side and Phase 2B from Delta side. They will be done.
In fact, the bridge components will be completed by April”.
Fashola who disclosed that Federal Government delegation visited the site recently commended the contractors handling the project for doing a good job just as he said that the bridge meets international standard. He pointed out that the highest height of the bridge is 49 meters while each pillar of the bridge has 25 piles of one column.
Asked to throw more light on the insinuation that the previous administration of President Goodluck Jonathan paid up the money for the construction of the Second Niger Bridge, Fashola said: “the previous government did not pay fully for the Second Niger Bridge construction. What was paid was insignificant that the contractors were not encouraged to be on site. They were not working before this government came in and I may be right to say President Buhari is the driving force of this bridge coming to reality. He mandated me to deliver this bridge for the people of South East to show his love for the region”.
He said no Private Sector funding is in the roads infrastructure President Buhari’s administration is undertaking.
Speaking further on the Lagos-Shagamu-Ibadan Expressway, the minister said job has almost been completed on the 127 kilometer road which he said records about 40, 000 vehicles daily. He commended Julius Berger Nigeria Plc for the good job and for the new technology they have brought as they now use recycled items to build the roads.
Meanwhile, the Minister has revealed that several thousands of jobs have been created by the infrastructure projects of the Buhari Administration even as he said about 5, 246 Direct jobs and 13, 998 Indirect jobs have been created in the road infrastructure alone under the
Highway Development Management Initiative (HDMI) of this government.
