Work resumes next week on Lagos-Ibadan expressway- Fashola
Fri Jun 10, 2016 07:44:am National
1.9K By Buchi Obichie
While speaking at the inaugural Buharimeter Town Hall meeting on Thursday, Fashola said contractors had abandoned several projects because the last administration owed them money; but that even though the current administration had not yet released fund to them, the contractors were willing to return to site and commence work because they trusted the integrity of the Buhari-led Government.
The Minister stated: "In 2014, we spent N45bn on roads for the whole country and we spent N18bn on roads in 2015. Now, the fallout of meetings with our contractors generally is that they have not been paid for three years but budgets were made for the last three years.
"We have been having meetings with some contractors on the basis of our credibility, our collective integrity, saying to them, go back to site.
"Our contractors will go back to site on Monday next week; they have told me they will return to the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
"They have not been paid, but that is what change means. That this government is credible and believable. If we say we will pay, we will pay. And this is what you will see in places like Ihiala and a few other places where we are intervening; but what is important now is that we have met with all our contractors and identified contracts that have survived the budget, we have approved those contracts for funding and in the next few days to weeks, the disbursement will start for many of the roads."
Fashola, however, lamented that the activities of the Niger Delta Avengers were seriously affecting power generation due to the vandalism of oil and gas installations.
He also noted that the betterment of the country depended on citizen cooperation with Government. Fashola stated that for Nigeria to be better, citizens must protect Government installations like it was done in other countries, saying that the newly constructed railway was already being vandalised.
"The Minister of Transportation (Rotimi Amaechi) just told me that vandals were removing nuts and rails for railway," Fashola said.
The Minister stated: "In 2014, we spent N45bn on roads for the whole country and we spent N18bn on roads in 2015. Now, the fallout of meetings with our contractors generally is that they have not been paid for three years but budgets were made for the last three years.
"We have been having meetings with some contractors on the basis of our credibility, our collective integrity, saying to them, go back to site.
"Our contractors will go back to site on Monday next week; they have told me they will return to the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
"They have not been paid, but that is what change means. That this government is credible and believable. If we say we will pay, we will pay. And this is what you will see in places like Ihiala and a few other places where we are intervening; but what is important now is that we have met with all our contractors and identified contracts that have survived the budget, we have approved those contracts for funding and in the next few days to weeks, the disbursement will start for many of the roads."
Fashola, however, lamented that the activities of the Niger Delta Avengers were seriously affecting power generation due to the vandalism of oil and gas installations.
He also noted that the betterment of the country depended on citizen cooperation with Government. Fashola stated that for Nigeria to be better, citizens must protect Government installations like it was done in other countries, saying that the newly constructed railway was already being vandalised.
"The Minister of Transportation (Rotimi Amaechi) just told me that vandals were removing nuts and rails for railway," Fashola said.
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