Aba – Ikot Ekpene, Umuahia – Umudike get attention as FEC approves NNPC’s request to fix 21 federal roads at N621bn Posted by News Mirror, October 26, 2022

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Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has taken over the reconstruction of 21 federal roads across the six geopolitical zones of the country.

Minister of works and housing, Babatunde Fashola (SAN) disclosed this to State House correspondents yesterday after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

He said the 21-road project which covers 1,804.6 kilometres is a strategic intervention under the Federal Government Road Infrastructure and Refreshment Tax Credit Scheme.

He said it was under Executive Order 7 that allows the private sector to deploy in advance the taxes they would pay for infrastructure development.

He said nine of the projects are in North Central, three in North East, two in North West, two in South East, three in South-South, and two in the South West.

Fashola said, “Those drains were put there, about 42 years ago and 86 of them have failed and we need to replace them now with concrete rain drains to allow water to pass through otherwise the retention of water will badly impact the road.

“As a result of that, we have to revise the scope of works from rehabilitation to construction in order to remove all the old steel drains that are corroded and replace them with concrete drains.

“It is over 75 kilometres of road and that will require an augmentation contract of an additional sum of N12 billion. So that memo was approved.

“The second memorandum relates to the road infrastructure tax credit scheme. You recall Executive Order seven signed by Mr. President allowing private sector operators to identify infrastructure such as roads for which you deploy your taxes in advance with tax and pay.”

“So, you recall that I had briefed you here about the use of that policy like the Dangote Group from Obajana to Kabba, Apapa to Oworoshoki.

“Earlier this year, there were five other roads, the Kaduna Western bypass, the Lekki Port road, the road from Shagamu through Papalanto and a couple of others and there is one road in Maiduguri. That was about N320 billion.

“So today, we have another player. We have all the interested players who are still showing interest but we haven’t concluded. We have another player who has shown interest and committed to deploy taxes.

“It’s the government corporation known as NNPC. So NNPC has identified 21 roads that it wants to deploy. So now the instructive thing about this is that this initiative helps the government to achieve many things, including Ministerial Mandates Three and Four, which we discussed at the last retreat if you recall, was energy sufficiency, electric power and petroleum energy distribution across the country.

“Of course, petroleum energy distribution is being impacted positively and negatively, as the case may be the transport infrastructure, which is the Ministerial mandate four.

“So, NNPC has sought and the council has approved today that NNPC deployed tax resources to 21 roads covering the total distance of 1,804.6 kilometers across the Six geopolitical zones.

“Out of those 21 roads, nine are in North Central, particularly Niger state. And the reason is that Niger State is a major storage center for NNPC. So the reason NNPC is doing this is to facilitate the total distribution across the country.

“We have seen and have heard every year of Niger State gridlock, the governor complaining that his roads are being damaged by trucks, by those who overload the trucks after damaging the roads themselves now protest the damage that they sometimes have induced. Anyway, this is the final solution to that problem.

“So, there are nine like that in north central, there are three in the Northeast. Two in the northwest, two in the southeast, three roads, the entire Odupani – Itu – Ikot Ekpene road in LOT 1, 2 and 3 now fully covered.

“Then in the southwest, you have the Lagos-Badagry expressway, the entire junction and you also have the Ibadan to Ilorin in Oyo-Ogbumosho section. So that’s it.

“In the south east you have Aba-Ikot Ekpene in Abia and Akwa Ibom states. So that’s a major link, then you have Umuahia to Ikwuano to Ikot Ekpene road and so on and so forth. In the Northwest, it is Gada-Zaima-Zuru-Gamji road, and also Zaria-Funtau -Gusau-Sokoto road.

“In the northeast, it is Cham-, Bali Serti and Gombe-Biu road. The roads impacted in north central include Ilorin -Jebba-Mokwa-Bokani sections I and II, Suleja-Minna sections I and II, Bida-Lambatta, and then Agaie-Katcha-Baro road. Then Mokwa-Makers-Tegina-Kaduna all in Niger State.

“So, as I said, there are a total of 21 roads. What will happen as a result of this is that there will be no financing problems regarding the execution of these roads anymore. So, some of these roads that I have mentioned, let me tell you, what has changed. For example, Aba-Ikot Ekpene road has an estimate of about N30.33,399 billion to complete. The provision in the budget this year is only N200 million. If you look at Suleja-Minna road section II, it has N25.763 billion to complete.

“The provision in the budget this year is just N100 million. So, with this intervention, all those roads now will be fully funded, we won’t have budgetary challenges and financing challenges. So, the council approved this as a strategic funding for these roads.”

He said the total sum for the 21 road contracts was not a one off payment.

He said, “The whole package is N621,237,143,897.75 billion. Let’s be clear, it will be spread over periodic tax for about three years. On the time frame of completion, the completion time already exists. They have scheduled completion times. What has hobbled them and hampered them is that the annual budgetary provisions have not been enough. So, what it does now is that the government can save, like the PIBF, Lagos-Ibadan, 2nd Niger bridge and all of those type roads.”

FULL LIST:
NORTH CENTRAL
1. Dualization of Ilorin-Jebba-Mokwa/ Bokani Junction road Section 1: Illorin-Jebba, Kwara State C/NO. 6468. 110.8km

2. Dualization of Ilorin, Jebba-Mokwa/Bokani junction Road Section II: Jebba-Mokwa-Bokani junction in Kwara and Niger states. C/NO.6469. 46 km

3. Dualization of Suleja-Minna road, Niger state. C/O. 6077. 40km

4. Dualization of Suleja-Minna Road, Niger State PhaseII (Km 40+000-101+000) C/NO.6267. 61km

5. Reconstruction of Bida-Lambata Road, Niger state C/NO.6372. 125km

6. Agaie-Katcha-Baro Road, Niger State 52.3km

7. Emergency repairs of failed section of Mokwa-Makera-Tagina-Kaduna state border in Niger state. 164km

8. Minna-Zungeru minna-Zungeru-Tagina road, Niger state. 90km

9. Bida-Minna road, Niger state. 791.1km

NORTH EAST

1. Rehabilitation of Cham-Numan section of Gombe-Yola road in Adamawa state. 46.35km

2. Construction of Bali-Serti road in Taraba state. 110km

3. Rehabilitation of Gombe-Biu road in Gombe/Borno state. 117km

NORTH WEST

1. Rehabilitation of outstanding sections of Gada-Zaima-Zuru-Gamji road Phase II in Kebbi State 62km.

2. Rehabilitation of Zaria-Funtua-Gusau-Sokoto-Birnin Kebbi. 221.5km

SOUTH EAST

1. Dualization of Aba-Ikot Ekpene road in Abia/Akwa Ibom states. 73km

2. Rehabilitation of Umuahia (Ikwuano)-Ikot Ekpene road: Umuahia-Umudike in Abia state. 49km

SOUTH SOUTH

1. Rehabilitation of Odukpani-Itu-Ikot Ekpene road in Cross River state Section I: Odukpani-Itu Bridge Head in Cross River/Akwa Ibom states. 21.9km

2. Dualization of outstanding portion of Odukpani-Itu-Ikot Ekpene: lot 2. 32km

3. Dualization of Oku-Iboku Power Plant Section of the Odukpani-Itu-Ikot-Ekpene road in Cross River/Akwa Ibom state. 28km

SOUTH WEST

1. Rehabilitation and expansion of Lagos-Badagry Expressway (Agbara Junction-Nigeria/Benin border) in Lagos State. 62km

2. Dualization of Ibadan-Ilorin road (Route A2) Section II in Oyo State (Oyo-Ogbomosho). 52km

Atleast we have two roads to be constructed in Abia State. This two roads have caused an untold hardship to our people


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