The Minister of State for Power, Works and Housing, Alhaji Mustapha Shehuri said the federal government needs nothing less than N3 trillion to fix road infrastructure in the country.
Shehuri disclosed this Thursday evening when he received a delegation from Igbo World Union (IWU) led by its President General, Dr Mishak Nnata, during a courtesy visit.
Despite the huge amount required to fix the road in the country, the minister said a total of 58 road and bridge projects are currently ongoing in the South East.
He listed the Second Niger Bridge, Enugu-Port Harcourt road, Onitsha-Enugu expressway, Onitsha-Owerri road, Ninth mile-Orokam road, Nnewi-Enugu road and Onitsha Eastern Bypass among the ongoing projects.
“At the inception of this administration in 2015, we met a lot of mess in the system, particularly, in the area of infrastructure. As I speak to you now, we need nothing less than N3 trillion to fix road infrastructure in the country and as at 2015 when we came in, budgetary allocation for road was just N18 billion.
“The N18 billion would not have gotten any where, but in view of the President Muhammadu Buhari’s commitment to developing infrastructure in the country, the budgetary allocation was increased to over N480 billion in 2016.
“The allocation was increased, notwithstanding the dramatic fall in the price of crude oil that led the country to recession at the beginning of the administration.
“As I speak now, a total of 58 road and bridge projects are ongoing in the South East. These projects include the Second Niger Bridge, Enugu-Port Harcourt road, Onitsha-Enugu expressway, Onitsha-Owerri road, Ninth mile-Orokam road, Nnewi-Enugu road and Onitsha Eastern Bypass among others’’, he said.
He said the Federal Government had come up with several initiatives, including the Sukuk fund, Presidential Infrastructure Development Fund and Tax Credit Policy to addressing funding challenges in the execution of road projects.
Nnata said IWU was a Pan Igbo Social-Cultural organisation with focus on peace and unity, based on equity and transparency.
He said: “IWU pledges her expertise in servility to the success of this government, to synergise and harmonise partnership with your ministry to provide the much needed infrastructure in the Southeast,” he said.
