The Federal Government of Nigeria disclosed that it inherited a substantial funding gap of over N6 trillion from most ongoing road projects initiated by the previous administration. Mr. Dave Umahi, the Minister of Works, made this revelation in a statement posted on the official website of the ministry.
Umahi stated that despite the challenges inherited by President Tinubu’s administration, it remains committed to addressing the issues in various sectors, particularly the road infrastructure. The funding gap of over N6 trillion is associated with most of the ongoing road projects.
President Tinubu’s administration is determined to tackle these challenges head-on. The statement emphasized the President’s courage and commitment to sustainable road infrastructure development across the country. President Tinubu has allocated N300 billion to the ministry of works for the construction of new roads and the repair of existing ones.
The approved 2023 Supplementary budget of N300 billion includes N100 billion for immediate palliative works in 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and N200 billion for the continuation of most ongoing projects and a few critical new road projects.
Umahi also called for public participation in supervising ongoing palliative construction projects financed by the government. Members of the public are encouraged to report poorly constructed roads by photographing defects, indicating the location and contractor of the ongoing project, and reporting the information to specified contact numbers.
The minister emphasized that the Federal Ministry of Works will document and verify such reports, taking effective action to correct infractions. Additionally, the ministry plans to publicly recognize those who make genuine reports in a quarterly public engagement forum. Erring contractors will also face public sanctions as part of the ministry’s commitment to quality road construction.
