FG currently executing 800 road and bridge projects across 36 states – Minister

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed said on Monday  that  the Federal Government  is  currently executing over 800 roads covering 13,000km and bridge projects across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The minister who stated   this at a media briefing  in Abuja, said 37 of the bridges were undergoing maintenance and repairs that had been due for decades.

“We are proud that in our time, long abandoned roads and bridges are either being repaired or built anew.

“The Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, which is due to be completed this year, is already offering a joyful ride to happy motorists, saving lives and man hours in the process.

“In fact, there is at least one road or bridge project in every state of the federation.

“We are proud that in our time, the 2nd Niger Bridge, which the previous administration had built on paper several times, is almost ready for delivery,’’ he said.

In addition to the 2nd Niger Bridge, the minister said the administration had built or repaired the Ikom Bridge in Cross River, Loko-Oweto Bridge in Nasarawa, Ibi Bridge in Taraba and Bamenda-Mfun Bridge linking Nigeria and Cameroon.

He said the administration also built or repaired Chanchangi Bridge along Takum-Wukari road in Taraba, Koton-Karfe Bridge in Kogi, and Bodo Bonny road/Bridge in Rivers.

Mohammed said the Buhari administration had already delivered the 26.27km Nnewi-Uduma Road, Sections I and II in Enugu and Ebonyi and the 100.08km Kano-Maiduguri Road Section II (Shuwarin-Azare) in Jigawa and Bauchi.

According to the minister, the 106.34km Kano-Maiduguri Road Section III (Azare-Potiskum) in Bauchi and Yobe States, the 24km Vandeikya-Obudu Cattle Ranch Road Phase I and II in Benue and Cross River as well as the 304km Sokoto-Tambuwal-Jega-Kontagora-Makera roads had been delivered.

“We are proud that in our time, Nigerians are once again able to travel by rail, this time in total comfort and safety.

“Lagos-Ibadan, Abuja-Kaduna, Warri-Itakpe-Ajaokuta and Abuja Metroline are shining examples of our rail revolution. And we are just getting started.

“We have the rehabilitation of the Port-Harcourt-Maiduguri Eastern Narrow Gauge Railway project that cuts through Rivers, Imo, Anambra, Benue, Enugu, Ebonyi, Gombe, Yobe, Adamawa and Borno, and the Bonny Deep Sea and Railway Industrial Park.

“We have the Kano-Maradi standard gauge line that passes through some economic hubs of the country, including Kazaure, Daura, Katsina and up to the border town of Jibiya and the city of Maradi in Niger Republic,’’ he said.

The minister said the administration also delivered the Integrated National Security and Waterways.Protection Infrastructure, also known as Deep Blue Asset.

He said the project aimed at managing, controlling and protecting Nigerian waterways towards the advancement of coastal prosperity.

The minister berated the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for its derisive posturing that building infrastructure was not important when people are suffering.

“The opposition have forgotten the role of infrastructure in economic development via higher productivity and service delivery, job creation and poverty alleviation, just to mention a few.

“Little wonder they frittered away the resources of the commonwealth instead of using such to develop our infrastructure during their time in the saddle,’’ he said.