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Alternative Funding Needed to Maintain Federal Roads – Minister
The Minister of State for Works, Muhammad Bello Goronyo, has noted that over 35,000 kilometres of the Federal Government road network across Nigeria could not be funded through Annual Budgets alone, hence the need to source for alternative funding outside the government’s coffers.
Goronyo stated this while addressing the Management and Staff of the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA), Kogi State Field Office at Lokoja during a maiden visit alongside the MD/CEO, Engr Chukwumeka Agbasi.
He reaffirmed that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration is determined to fix all the roads to ensure a drastic reduction in the level of unemployment, rate of crimes, and insecurity.
According to him, ” Let me commend President Tinubu, GCFR for his determination. I have never seen a President so committed to sustaining physical assets nationwide. The administration gives priority to various road projects scattered across the country. This shows that he is a patriotic Nigerian.
“He is undertaking these projects so that our economy can be improved, and the rate of unemployment, poverty, and crimes will be reduced. We are seeing the Super Highways from Ilelah to Sokoto to Badagry and another from Lagos to Calabar.”
Goronyo, who commended the staff of FERMA for their resilience and hard work over the years, noted that despite insecurity, and inadequate funding, Nigerians have been commending them for their excellent work.
He urged them to bear with the Ministry of Works over their entitlements, disclosing that their requests for adjustment and increment in consequential salaries have been forwarded to the Salaries, Income, and Wages Commission for consideration and approval.
Speaking further on funding for the maintenance of roads, Goronyo stressed that “about 35,000 kilometres of roads cannot be funded and maintained overnight. We have to look for alternative sources of funding so that we can continue to maintain our physical assets, which are the roads. We have to create new ways of funding and new alternatives”.
He assured that the Government is focused on ensuring that projects are completed in a timely and efficient manner with robust oversight and contractors’ compliance.
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