FG to Refurbish Strategic Roads – Fashola

The Federal Government says passage of the 2016 Appropriation will help to fast track the rehabilitation of strategic roads across the geo-political zones of the country. Also when the budget is passed, the settlement of debts owed contractors for road projects across the country would commence in earnest.

The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola, bemoaned the deplorable state of the road which resulted to unending traffic hold up that left many motorists stranded for days.

“It is a very strategic road which Mr President himself has identified as one of his strategic economic roads; and the identification is with a lot of merit, even on our short journey here we saw cattle, we saw fuel, we saw yams, we saw grains, and we saw containers going to and fro.

“So, it tells anybody who cares to observe that this is a strategic economic artery for the movement of goods between the north and south of Nigeria. This is the road that farmers use to get their goods to the markets. It is the road that petroleum distributors use to get their cargo to this part of the country and so on. “

Fashola lauded the contractor for continuing work on some failed portions of the road, despite non-payment by the immediate past administration. He added that the federal government has also set up a committee to verify federal roads rehabilitated by state governments to ensure that the standard set were followed.

On housing, he said that the government was looking at formulating policies that would promote the use of locally produced materials for sustainable buildings to enhance job creation.

Gov. Abdulfatah Ahmed described Fashola’s appointment as an opportunity for him to bring his experience and achievements in Lagos to move the country forward.

He added that the government had marked out lands in strategic areas of the state for the development of housing schemes and commercial zones.