From Isaac Anumihe, Abuja
Amid rising inflation and the escalating cost of construction, Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, has submitted a new proposal to the federal government, seeking funds to complete inherited federal projects across the country.
The Minister’s Special Assistant, Orji Uche Orji, disclosed this to Daily Sun.
He highlighted the challenges posed by inflation, noting that some contractors have been terminated and others are being re-evaluated.
“What the minister is doing is to have a phased progress of work. Phased progress in the sense that we select five projects from each zone for immediate and accelerated funding. Once they are completed, the remaining projects will be selected in the life of this administration. The idea is to get money and fund some selected ones. After that, others will be selected for adequate funding,” he explained.
Previously, Umahi had confirmed that the four legacy projects and inherited ongoing projects were progressing as planned. He assured the public that milestone project execution was being adopted to ensure equitable development across all six geopolitical zones. Umahi added that some of the ongoing projects, including inherited ones, would be ready for commissioning by May 2025.
“Work is progressing on the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway. We have the Sokoto-Badagry Superhighway. Work is seriously in progress on the project. The first 120 km of work is happening in Sokoto, with Hitech using concrete. The Kebbi section, 250 km, is also under construction,” Umahi said. “We believe strongly that we’ll be able to have about 20 km in both sections to be commissioned by May 29. In section one of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway in the South West, we are very sure we’ll commission the first 20 km in section one and 10 km in section two.”