From Adesuwa Tsan, Abuja
The Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, has disclosed that it will cost the country N18trn to provide good roads across the country.
He added that the annual provisions in the National Assembly Appropriation Bills would not be able to cover the huge cost and sought the cooperation of the National Assembly to borrow money for that purpose.
Umahi stated this yesterday while speaking with journalists after he appeared before the Senate Committee on Works to defend his ministry’s 2025 budget estimates.
He said, “Remember the President inherited 2,064 projects, totaling N13trn in 2023. if you review that project in line with the market realities now, it should be close to N18trn.
“So, when the President, who is an economist, who has gone through all the segments of what we are passing through, by reason of his experiences, and is making efforts to borrow money to do these projects, then the public will be challenging his actions.
“That’s what I have been telling the National Assembly, and we are on the same page now. We have to borrow money to fix the roads.
“The roads, when fixed, is a catalyst to economic growth. It also eliminates hunger. This is ecause road infrastructure activities create a lot of economic activities.
“Those who are selling sand, chippings, mama put, rocks, and so on and so forth. There will be a lot of activities. So we need to give attention and encourage Mr. President to borrow money.
“He (President Bola Tinubu) cannot manufacture money. He has to be encouraged.
“You say he’s trying to steal your money. That’s very discouraging. So road infrastructure cannot be fixed by mere yearly budgetary.It has to be given plenty of attention.”
While expressing frustration over the public perception that he is getting much money to fund projects and not doing enough with it, he said, “I’ve not failed in many of my life engagements but I’m feeling frustrated with fixing of roads in Nigeria with funds that are not in any way, tangible for what are required .
“This is the reason why special funds in form of loans are needed to be taken for road infrastructure in the country .
Earlier the Chairman Senate Committee on Works, Mpigi Barinada (PDP, Rivers South East), noted that it will require a lot of money to put Nigeria’s road infrastructure in the state that it should be.
He therefore advocated for other ways to get the money needed to fund road project from other sources.
Other members of the committee supported that the N827billion proposed capital projects allocation for the Ministry for 2025 is insignificant compared to the huge task at hand.