The Federal Government (FG) has acknowledged the challenges posed by the inherited road infrastructure, saying it will initiate work on strategic roads starting in December, News About Nigeria reports.
This information was conveyed on Monday in a press statement signed by the Minister of Works, David Umahi, and published on his official X account.
Umahi revealed that roads under government consideration include the Makurdi-Nsukka 9th Mile Road, East-West Road, Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway, Benin bypass road, collapsed bridges on the Enugu-Port Harcourt road, collapsed bridges on the Shandam-Plateau State road, Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano road, Gombe-Bauchi, etc.
He also noted that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has taken note of the state of Nigerian road infrastructure inherited on the 29th of 2023.
While commending the efforts of the past administration in improving national roads with limited resources, he lamented that “the task of transforming the dismal state of our roads is quite enormous.”
The Minister clarified that Tinubu’s administration is not merely complaining about the inherited roads but is actively working to address them. The President is mobilizing resources to fill the N6 trillion gap needed to fund inherited projects.
Umahi further stated that Tinubu has approved a 2023 Supplementary budget of ₦300B for the Ministry of Works. Of this amount, ₦100B will be allocated to urgent projects in 36 States and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), while ₦200B will be directed towards ongoing projects inherited by the Administration, covering critical road infrastructures.
Moreover, he mentioned that before December, the Ministry of Works must engage in projects. He added that work has already commenced on roads in the Southern and Northern parts of the country, which Nigerians can verify.
