INSPECTION OF CURRENT AND ABANDONED ROAD CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS IN SOUTH –SOUTH GEO POLITICAL ZONE OF NIGERIA BY THE MINISTER OF POWER, WORKS AND HOUSING IN NIGERIA

The Minister of Power, Works and Housing MR. BABATUNDE FASHOLA had been on entourage to South – South Geo Political zone to have first hand outstanding information about the state of duty in the area. Inspection will provide the minister the opportunity to interact with the contractors on challenges as well as the way to enhancement and timely delivery of the project. ABUBAKAR ABESTU who is the minister’s entourage interacted with the news editor on the project so far visited as follow:

According to ABUBAKAR ABESTU  who said “When we tackle this inspection about four days ago, critically through the land , we picked things in the South – South Geo Political Zone that is Cross River, AkwaIbom, Rivers, Delta and Edo states. We inspected Calabar- Ikom Ogoja road sections 1 and 2, and Calabar- Adugbai Junction Uto Road which is led to Otionu, we also inspected Umuahia – Ikot ekpene under rehabilitation which connect Abia and AkwaIbom State, also Aba – Port Harcourt express Road and Enugu – Port Harcourt express Road section 4, we also inspected Yenegoa - Awka   Ikoro Road in Bayelsa state in Nigeria. We also visited Bonny Road which will be another construction. Other major roads that we also inspected which is the purpose we go there are Wayi Popular Emergency Hill, realization of the popular route section 1 road in Delta State,  Tri revision of Lokoja – Benin express road in Kogi and Edo State, both were some of the major roads we inspected with the minister

Then, the news editor now pose this question to ABUBAKAR by asking him, what he can say about the state of these roads visited?

ABUBAKAR’s response is that most of the roads were abandoned many years ago almost immediately after awarding the contract due to lack of funding, so most of the road were very bad to the core because some the contractors had not been mobilize in connection to the current administration as effort to execute the task was not possible due lack of funding.

The News editor poses the second question to ABUBAKAR by asking, pleasing tell now what the minister is saying through the contractors and the communities?

ABUBAKAR’s response to the second question thrown to him by the news editor by saying that minister really expressed concern over the nature of those work, and said he could not do this work as they are now doing it, but right now he is assuring the contractors that this present administration is not going to pay any dime in issue of handing any project despite the challenges that the current administration is facing in terms of the economy. And also gaining had been made to some of the contractor and that is why most of them are very on tight now, it will also encourage them to ensure that they merge what they were given to the amount of work on the ground.

And that is ABUBAKAR ABESTU speaking on the assessment of the events on the South –South Geo Political Zone of Nigeria by the minister of Power, works and Housing  MR. BABATUNDE FASHOLA.

NEWS REPORTER: ONYIA EMEKA HARFORD

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