The Federal Government has adopted a new measure that will help it complete the Benin -Lokoja road project that was awarded since 2012.
Minister of Works, David Umahi disclosed this during a meeting with former Governor of Edo state, Adams Oshiomole who was accompanied by Monday Okpebholo, the All Progressives Congress Governorship and some contractors in Abuja, recently.
Umahi said the federal government had to device other means to hasten the completion of the road, explaining that the government also agreed to BUA’s commitment to construct 30 kilometres of the road under the tax credit scheme after which a tax certificate would be awarded.
“Three other contractors would be mobilised for the construction of the remaining 30 kilomteres. Let me say that this project was first awarded in 2012, later the last administration reviewed the project to N879 billion under the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) tax credit scheme.
“However, the costs of the project is different from the commitment of NNPC because NNPC’s commitment was just N122 billion and so there was a funding gap of N775 billion and I don’t see where that money is coming from. So all I did when we came onboard was to keep the project but review the texture off the pavement, by allowing the existing carriageway to be asphalt and then reviewed the new carriage way to be concrete.’’
He said that BUA committed to construct 30 kilometres of the road on their own under the tax credit scheme with the condition to that they would deploy three contractors to start work.
Meanwhile, Adams Oshiomole, commended the Tinubu led administration for responding swiftly to the needs of the people.
According to Oshiomole, Edo state residents have been lamenting over the deplorable state of the road from Benin to Okene to Lokoja for the past two to three governments.
” Some of the contractors were not serious with the project while some totally abandoned it. An appeal was made to the president and within 72 hours the minister swung into action to solve the problem that ministers before him could not solve.
Similarly, Sen. Monday Okpebholo the All Progressives Congress Governorship candidate, said President Tinunbu succeeded in rekindling hope in the people of Edo through the road project.
“We didn’t know how we were going to campaign because of bad roads; I commend the minister for the swift action. If this is how Nigeria works, everybody will want to come back home. Nobody will want to leave the country.”
Responding, Mr Kabiru Rabiu, Group Executive Director, BUA Group, said BUA was committed to local investment and to support the President Bola Tinubu’s administration to succeed.
According to Rabiu, in Edo alone, BUA made an investment of over 2billion dollars with five lines of cement.
