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Okwe Obi, Abuja
Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, has excused his ministry from being in charge of East West roads, saying that Niger Delta ministry should be held responsible.
Fashola, who spoke yesterday in Abuja when Coalition of South South Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines, and Agriculture, paid him a visit, said road users should go through zonal coordinators and lodge complains of dilapidated roads which they would report to him.
“Let me inform you that the East-West road is not the responsibility of the ministry of works; It is the ministry of Niger Delta and by extension, the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). Please take that message straight home.
“That is how we met it and so it is going to be. But we have collaborations. Please tell members of the public how some of the East West roads have been completed because I have driven on it; from Bayelsa, through Rivers, Delta all the way to Edo State, we drove on the road,” he said.
Fashola, also, appealed to Nigerians not to spread fake news on the state of the roads when a section is spoilt, saying that motorists and commuters should be specific on the section that is bad to enable his team fix it.
“The whole portion of the road is not bad but a section. I think we should be accurate in our statements. Let us take away the bad news and put good news. May sections of the roads are motorable and good while we will fix the bad section,” he said.
Meanwhile, Chairman of FOSSCCIMA, Emma Avworo, appealed to Fashola to set agenda for the infrastructure development of the South South States, which would boost the industrial growth of the region.
He, also included the provision of housing in his demand list, claiming that the region abounds with abandoned government housing.
“Another area we require your intervention is in the area of housing. In several states in the South-South, abandoned Federal Government housing projects abound. We urge you to look into these with a view to reviving them.
“What we request will not only make the roads more usable, or providing more housing units, but jobs are created during the construction period, while maintenance staff, weight bridge operators, and inspection roles are also created. And these will drive entrepreneurship,” he added.
