Says crack on Lagos/Calabar coastal highway not structural failure
The Federal Government requires about N3 trillion to fund the inherited road infrastructure projects under the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) Tax Credit Scheme, but assured that the huge sums will not disrupt execution.
It also assured that cracks on the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway were not a structural failure, but that the particular section raising the dust had not yet been completed.
Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, during a briefing in Abuja, yesterday, stated that the road projects funded through the NNPCL Tax Credit Scheme, transferred to the Federal Government, would be religiously executed without hitches, despite high bills. He urged Nigerians to have faith in the commitment of the present administration to deliver projects that would address their yearnings and aspirations.
Umahi reiterated that contactors, especially those handling concession-bond roads handed over to prospective concessionaires that exhibited the capacity to fund them, would get their full entitlements.
On the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway, the minister revealed that he received over 500 messages from Nigerians about the crack noticed on the road.
He said: “I have got over 500 concerns about a crack they noticed at the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway Section 1. I was wondering whether they sent them in good faith or if they are sending them to mock me. Let me tell you that nothing is happening.
“Absolutely, it’s not an issue at all. That section has not been completed. Section 1 is 47.47 kilometres by six.”
Commenting on the concerns over the Lagos Third Mainland Bridge, the minister assured that although part of the bridge had been closed down, the entire structure was solid and “nobody should have any fear.”
Umahi also revealed that approval had been granted for construction work to commence on the Katsina-Ala Road in Benue State and commended the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume, for ensuring that the project kicks off alongside the construction of the River Buruku also in Benue.
He called for peace in Benue, so that more Federal Government presence would be felt.
