President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has initiated a substantial rehabilitation of deteriorated federal roads nationwide, addressing key routes like Makurdi-Nsukka 9th Mile, East West Road, Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway, Benin Bypass, Enugu-Port Harcourt Road bridges, Shandam-Plateau bridges, Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano, and Gombe-Bauchi roads.
Despite inheriting a ₦6 trillion road infrastructure deficit, President Tinubu is resolute in addressing the challenges, allocating ₦300 billion in the 2023 supplementary budget for the Ministry of Works. This includes ₦100 billion for immediate palliative works and ₦200 billion for ongoing critical road projects.
The public is encouraged to monitor and provide feedback on the projects, with a call for reporting poorly constructed roads nationwide by sending details and photos to specified numbers.
Umahi emphasized the enormity of the task ahead, praising the President’s commitment, consistency, and innovative approach to achieving sustainable road infrastructure development.
Palliative works are mandated to commence promptly, and the Minister stressed the importance of public engagement, recognizing genuine reports and publicly sanctioning erring contractors in quarterly forums.
Addressing criticisms on concrete road policies, Umahi dismissed detractors, asserting that the Federal Ministry of Works will uphold the policy while urging strict adherence from contractors, emphasizing a zero-tolerance approach to contract breaches.
