From Folasade Adetutu-Koyi and Isaac Anumihe, Abuja
Federal Government, today, listed some roads about to be tolled which include Abuja-Keffi-Akwanga-Makurdi Road, Abuja-Kano Road, Port Harourt to Enugu, and East-West Road.
Speaking at the Ministerial Press Briefing in Abuja, Minister of Works Engineer David Umahi explained that the reason the Federal Government is tolling the roads is because of the paucity of funds to build and maintain the roads.
He said that it’s difficult for the federal government maintain roads across the nation, a situation that prompted the tolling.
“It is difficult for the funds of the federal government to complete all these roads. That’s why we are doing highway development and management initiative (HDMI). Of course, that is the Public Private Partnership (PPP). It’s not only to get these roads completed we should also maintain it. And so, in the first week of June we are going to go round and to talk to stakeholders again and appeal to them to toll the roads. For example, you look at Abuja-Kano, a sizeable section is completed but if we leave it at that untill we finish the rest of the project, they will all go bad. The Port Harourt to Enugu, the same thing. The East-West Road, the samething. That’s what informed the reason for tolling not just to have the private sector to participate just like in every civilized country but to also ensure that they operate and maintain the ones we have done” he said
According to Nweze, it’s not enough to build roads but to make sure that those roads are maintained.
“The important thing is not just building the roads. In the past we have built roads. This is the only time President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is constructing roads and the most worried aspect in the Ministry of Works is that none of the roads built in the past ever lasted up to 15 years. As they are building the roads they are failing. So, the challenge will be solved in two ways: one, we have 32,000 kilometers of roads nationwide and when you add the new legacy projects we are looking at 38,000 kilometers of roads. It is difficult for the funds of the federal government to complete all these roads. That’s why we are doing HDMI.
“Every minister under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has a duty and the duty is, what is the vision of this administration?. The vision of Mr President is to create an economy of $1 trillion. It’s to take back our economy in all the sectors of our economy. It’s to promote local content so that we can beat our chest and say ‘yes we can’. And to see that every worker in every ministry ought to key into the same vision. If you get to the cleaner and the cleaner is not having this vision then there’s a break in the chain and this is what we are doing. Umahi” noted. ENDS