The federal government has approved N126 billion for the rehabilitation and construction of 12 roads across some states of the federation. The benefitting states include Jigawa, Kano, Enugu, Kwara, Adamawa, Bauchi, Gombe and Kaduna.
Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola gave the hint in Abuja after the end of the third Federal Executive Council (FEC) presided over by acting president Yemi Osinbajo at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Fashola said the road contracts spread across the country would energise the ailing economy amd stressed that more funds would be injected into the construction sub sector, the minister said, “Council considered and approved the award of contracts for 12 roads. One of them is the Dukka Gulu road in Kano. Ohers are spread across Bauchi, Adamawa, Kwara, Gombe/Adamawa, Kano, Enugu, Kaduna, Bauchi/Gombe,
“The headline figures are in the region of N126 billion but I think that is not the story. The story really is what the award of those contracts will do to the economy. It will restore confidence to the construction industry. Contractors who have been owed for two to three years before Mr President was elected are back in various states. They have called back their workers and they are purchasing gravel and cement.”
Fashola who observed that the economy was on its way back, noted that “In every place in all of those states, once we mobilise the contractors, the monies would be kept in those states. Most of the workers who drive the trucks, who fix the roads that you see are indigenes of those states and so they aggregate to the total output from each of those states to the national productivity and national recovery.
“What you will then see is improved journey time which was what we promised you as we cover more grounds. Wherever we have worked we have seen that you are travelling more efficiently, you are burning less fuel, you are reaching your destination quicker and as we complete those roads we can only have a more efficient economy.”
