FG will finish the Benin-Lokoja road in six months, according to Umahi.
The Federal Government has plans in place to finish building the Benin-Lokoja road project within six months, according to Minister of Works David Umahi.
During a Thursday meeting with the contractors in charge of the road improvements in Abuja, Umahi disclosed this.
The All Progressives Congress candidate for governor of Edo, Sen. Monday Okpebholo, and Senator Adams Oshiomole, who represents Edo North, were present at the meeting, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
According to Umahi, the federal government has taken steps to expedite the completion of the road project, which was awarded in 2012 but was never finished.
He revealed that the federal government had accepted BUA’s pledge to build 30 kilometers of the road under the tax credit program, following which the business would receive a tax certificate.
The minister went on to say that three more contractors would be brought in to complete the final 30 kilometers of development.
The four off-road sections will be managed by four contractors.
CGC is in charge of the first part from Lokoja; Mother Cat is in charge of the second; Dantata and Sawoe are in charge of the third; and RCC is in charge of the fourth.
Let me explain. This project was first awarded in 2012, and it was subsequently reviewed by the previous administration to get N879 billion under the tax credit program offered by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC).
But, the project’s expenses varied from NNPC’s pledge, which was only N122 billion. As a result, there was a N775 billion financial gap, and I have no idea where that money is coming from.
Therefore, all I did when we joined the project was to maintain the project while reviewing the pavement’s texture. I achieved this by letting the previous carriageway remain asphalted and then reviewing the new carriageway’s concrete surface.
Umahi stated that following the signing of an addendum to obtain 30% funding to expedite the project, or N9 billion apiece, the ministry would mobilize the contractors.
But he added that the contractors will draft an affidavit confirming when the project would be finished.
“We take the timeliness of our projects extremely seriously, and we no longer give contractors the freedom to choose how long they spend on site.
“We need to request a schedule and adhere to it while working.” Thus, I’m pleading with you contractors to be conscientious and dedicated,” he stated.
In response, Mr. Kabiru Rabiu, Group Executive Director of BUA Group, stated that the organization was dedicated to helping President Bola Tinubu’s administration thrive.
Rabiu claims that BUA invested more than $2 billion in Edo alone, using five cement lines.
According to him, the group and the people of Edo benefited from the development of the 30-kilometer road.
“I would like to provide our support for the road project. In exchange for a tax certificate, we pledge to make the required investment under the tax credit program.
Oshiomole had already praised the Tinubu-led administration for acting quickly to address the concerns of the populace.
Oshiomole claims that for the previous two to three administrations, people in Edo State have been complaining about the terrible condition of the road.
He claimed that while some contractors showed no seriousness about the job, others completely gave up on it.
“We made an appeal to the past administrations; we received a lot of promises, but they were not fulfilled. To the president we thus cried.
“We are grateful that the president has listened to us thanks to the minister’s intervention.
“I was taken aback that the minister moved quickly to address the issue that previous ministers had failed to address in just 72 hours,” the minister added.
For his part, Okpebholo claimed that through the road project, President Tinubu was able to restore optimism in the people of Edo.
Due to poor roads, we were unsure of how we would conduct our campaign; I applaud the minister for acting quickly.
If Nigeria operates in this manner, everyone will want to return home. No one will desire to depart from the nation.
“I’m glad this is over with. It’s a great step for the Edo people. We will win our election with a clean slate thanks to this, he declared.