By CrossRiverWatch Admin
Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, has said that highway projects have been prioritized in the 2017 budget to achieve maximum progress.
Fashola told the Senate Committee on Works that highway projects are categorized into six (Priorities I-VI.), with the Calabar-Itu road in Priority 1 and the Ikot Ekpene-Mbok-Ikom Road in Priority 5.
He noted that the intention is to give priority attention to projects at arterial highways and to record appreciable progress in order of importance of the projects.
He listed some of the projects to include: PRIORITY 1: National Priority Projects: Projects on Critical Economic Routes on the Federal Road Network.
“These are highly trafficked North-South, East-West Routes used for the distribution of goods and services across the country and major river crossing bridges.
“The sum of N150,470,553,292, which represents 62.22% is proposed to execute National Priority 1 projects in 2017.
Some of the Projects are: a) Construction of Second Niger Bridge at Onitsha; b) Dualization of Abuja-Abaji-Lokoja (Sections I-IV) in FCT/Kogi States; c) Dualization of Kano-Maiduguri Road (Sections I-V) in Kano/Bauchi/Yobe/ Borno states; d) Rehabilitation of Enugu-Port Harcourt Dual Carriageway (Sections I-IV) in Enugu/Abia/Rivers States; 2) Rehabilitation/Reconstruction of Lagos-Shagamu-Ibadan Expressway in Lagos/Oyo States ; f) Construction of Loko-Oweto Bridge in Nasarawa/Benue states ;g) Reconstruction of Outstanding Sections of Benin-OfOSU-Ore-Shagamu road in Edo/Ondo/Ogun ;h) Rehabilitation of Odukpani-Itu-Ikot Ekpene road section I: Odukpani-Itu Bridgehead ;i) Rehabilitation of Ilorin-J’ebba-Mokwa road.
According to him, Priority 2, are projects being executed along the branch routes from the Critical Economic Routes on the Federal Road Network.
He explained that “these roads serve as links between the major routes and Agricultural producing hubs factories and mining deposits for the evacuation of agricultural produce, manufactured goods and raw materials to markets and Ports across the Country.
The sum of N43,143,299,357 which represents 17.84% is proposed to execute National Priority 2 projects in 2017.
Some of the projects are: a) Dualization of Sapele-Ewu road in Delta/Edo States b) Addendum II to the Dualization of Lagos-Ota-Abeokuta road in Lagos/Ogun States c) Rehabilitation of Hadejia-Nguru-Gashua-Bayamari road in Jigawa/Yobe States d) Rehabilitation of Ilorin-Kabba-Obajana road in Kwara/Kogi States e) Rehabilitation of Yola-Mubi 1‘) Rehabilitation of Owerri-Umuahia road in Imo/Abia States 9) Dualization of Yenegwe road Junction-Kolo-Otuoke-Bayelsa Palm in Bayelsa State) Rehabilitation of Damaturu-Biu
On priority 3, he said that “these projects are Specifically targeted to routes leading to the Nation’s Refineries, Petroleum Depots, Major Ports and Mineral producing areas in the Country to ease movement of petroleum products and imported goods from the Ports/ Depots to other parts of the country.
Also, the sum of N25,508,708,266 which represents 10.55% was proposed to execute National Priority 3 projects in 2017.
Some of the Projects are: a) Rehabilitation of Apapa-Oshodi Expressway in Lagos Phase I & II ; b) Dualization of Suleja-Minna road ; c) Construction of Bodo-Bonny road with a Bridge across the Opobo Channel in Rivers State; d) Access Road to Apapa/Tin Can Port, NNPC Depot (Atlas Cove) to Mile 2 ; e) Construction of Agaie-Katcha-Baro road.”
On priority 4, he noted that “Roads in key agricultural States producing cash crops like yam, rice maize, cassava, fruits etc.
The objective is to boost agricultural production of these crops and ease their movement to markets. This is to enhance food sufficiency in the country and minimize losses.
The sum of N8,900,000,000 which represents 3.68% is proposed to construct and rehabilitate Roads through Agricultural producing areas in 2017.
Some of the Projects are: a) Rehabilitation of Sokoto-TambuwaI-Jega-Kontagora-Makera in Sokoto/Kebbi States b) Rehabilitation of Otukpo-9th Mile-Enugu-Port Harcourt Dual Carriageway in Benue/Enugu States c) Rehabilitation of Abakaliki-Afikpo road in Ebonyi State; d) Rehabilitation of Akure-Ondo road in Ondo State, e) Rehabilitation of Aba-Azumini-Opobo road (Aba-Azumini section) in Abia State. f) Rehabilitation of Wukari-Mutum Biyu-Jalingo-Numan Road Section I: Wukari-Mutum Biyu Road in Taraba State
On priority 5, he said that “Counterpart Funding on Projects funded from Multi-lateral Loans: The Road Sector Development Team (RSDT) is a Unit of the Ministry that manages fund from multilateral Agencies such as World Bank-and African Development Bank.
“These projects involve the rehabilitation and periodic maintenance of selected roads on the Federal Road Network under the Federal Roads Development Program (FRDP) funded by the World Bank.
The proposed sum of N874,409,248 or 0.36% in the 2017 budget provision is for the balance of counterpart funding contribution by the Federal Government.
“The roads are: a) Rehabilitation of Mokwa-Bida road in Niger State ,b) Rehabilitation of Akure-Ilesha road in Ondo/Osun States , c) Completion of Mbok (Ogoja Junction)-Ikom road in Cross River State ; d) Completion of Enugu-Abakaliki road in Enugu/Ebonyi States ; e) Joint Border Bridge at Mfum (Nigeria)/Ekok (Cameroon) under the Nigeria/Cameroon International Highway and Transport Facilitation Program.
On priority six, he said “These are other on-going projects on the federal road network and road interventions in Tertiary Institutions in the Country.
The sum of N12,943,028,838 or 5.35% is proposed for Other Ongoing Projects, Highways Planning & Development and Materials Geotechnics projects in 2017.”
He noted that the major factor militating against the timely completion of projects is insufficient budgetary provision for projects to sustain annual cash-flow requirement levels.
“This underscores the need for diversifying the sources of funding for highway projects through concessioning of projects that are bankable.
“The draft Tolling Policy should be approved to create an enabling environment for concessioning for some of the Nation’s dual carriageways to private investors for maintenance.