2nd Niger Bridge: 2022 Delivery is Sacrosanct – Fashola The Minister of Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN has given assurance that the 2nd Niger bridge will be completed and delivered in year 2022 as promised despite delay caused by the impact of covid 19 and disagreement with some people from the communities around the project before they were resolved with the intervention of the Governors of Anambra and Delta States as well as some traditional rulers from the area. Fashola gave this assurance while speaking at a town hall meeting with stakeholders of the project held at the bridge site in Asaba. He said, “Clearly 2022 will be the delivery date for this project as already planned, we might miss a few weeks here and there but nothing substantial.” Let me assure you of Mr. President’s commitment and the Federal Government’s commitment to this.” The Minister,however, stressed the need for peaceful coexistence, sacrifice and patience to ensure the completion of the project. “We need peace to finish this work, we need peaceful coexixtence to finish this work, we need also some sacrifice, we have to give some things in order to get some things and we need some patience”, he said. Fashola disclosed that the total cost of the project is four hundred and fourteen Billion naira. He explained that while the cost of bridge is two hundred and six billion, the 2A and 2B roads will cost two hundred and eight billion naira. He added that the Buhari administration is making the commitment even though the price of oil is now about forty dollar per barrel. While speaking on the economic benefits of the project to the people of the area the Minister said in order to build this bridge the contractors will be buying 644 thousand tonnes of aggregates. They require four Million cubic metres of sand, sixty eight thousand tonnes of cement, 19 Million litres of diesel all of which will be bought from people around the area who deal in such businesses. He further said that the contractor employed over one thousand four hundred workers who are indigenes of the area. On the issue of compensation, the Minster appealed to the Governors of Anambra and Delta states to help engage with the communities to make it easier for the Federal Governmnt to come to agreement with them. Fashola promised that the Ministry will look into the ecological and environmental consequence of the project. Speaking at the occasion, the Delta State Governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa who was represented by the Secretary to the state government expressed profound appreciation to the Federal Government for the project while urging the Minister to expedite action on some federal roads in the state. Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra State who deliverd the vote of thanks expressed gratitude to President Buhari for keeping his words on the project and commended the Minster for his commitment to the work. He assured that he will ensure that there is peace in his state. Earlier in his address, the Managing Director of Julius Berger Nigeria Plc, Dr. Las Weiser described the project as a key national infrastructure with immense economic benefits. He said when completed it will minimize traffic congestion and strengthen the region by boosting trade and commerce nationally and internationally. The Meeting which was well attended was graced by many traditional rulers some of which are: the Obi of Onitsha, , Eze of Okpo Kingdom and Eze of Obosi. The Minister also inspected the progress of work at the bridge and visited the Zik Mausoleum where he promised that effort will be made to preserve the mausoleum and keep it in the pristine condition that it deserves. ...

FG Reiterates Commitment to Completing Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria -Kano Dual Carriageway Minister of Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola SAN has reiterated the commitment of the Federal Government to completing the ongoing reconstruction of the Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano dual carriageway. He stated this at the town hall meeting of stakeholders organised by the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing held in the Kaduna State University Conference hall, Kaduna on Thursday. Fashola said, “ Mr. President is more passionate and concerned about finishing this road and many others before his constitutional term ends.” He also said the objective of the town hall meeting was to expose the realities and explain the challenges involved in the construction of the road. Responding to various questions from stakeholders who wanted to know why the construction work on the road was taking too long, the Minister explained that one of the reasons why work could not commence early on the road was as a result of the request made by the some members of the National Assembly to expand the road from two lanes to three lanes. In his words, “Shortly after we flagged off the road, we received a letter from the Senators in the National Assembly asking the Federal Government to expand the road from two lanes to three lanes, that was not from us ,it was from the National Assembly,  the Senators and they wrote to the President and copied my Ministry. Explaining further, Fashola stated that based on the directive from the Presidency to undertake that expansion, “we needed to redesign an expansion to accommodate about 40 different bridges on this road to align with the lanes. "So if they are going to expand from two to three lanes, a new design needed to be created. The process for doing that required us to hire a design consultant. We had to follow the procurement process established by the National Assembly,” he said Accordingly he said, the procurement process is a long one which entails advertising, waiting for a period of six weeks after advertisement, reviewing of tender, picking of consultant and going to the Bureau for Public Procurement (BPP) and finally to the Federal Executive Council for approval to hire a consultant to do the design requested. The Minister also disclosed that, after going through all the processes of procurement for redesigning to three lanes, the Ministry received another instruction to revert back to two lanes due to paucity of fund.   Fashola also attributed the delay in completion to the total length of the road and the process of construction. He explained, “Each Lane is 375km. So if you multiply that by four, we are building a thousand and five hundred kilometres of highway. No matter how hard you tried to work, if there was 25 hours in one day to do this work, we will commit to it, but the truth is that materials take time to react, minimum and maximum processes must be observed. “ Responding to a question on the Kaduna  Western By-pass, the Minister explained that the Kaduna State government  initially requested it to be transferred to  the State and the request was granted, but later due to the inability of the state to raise the financing for it , the commencement of the work was stalled. He added that, a recommendation to put the project under the Infrastructure Tax Credit Scheme was later considered and approved. He explained, "As far as the Western By-pass is concerned, let me also say that it is on record, Kaduna State was the first State to apply for the transfer of Federal Road to them, that I recommended to the Federal Executive Council and Council approved and I transferred it to the State Governor in his first term. It was after the unsuccessful attempt by the Kaduna State government to raise financing that we recommended that it be put under the Infrastructure Tax Credit  Scheme.” In her response to some of the questions raised at the the town hall meeting, the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs  Zainab Ahmed stated that her ministry would work closely with the Ministry of Works and Housing and Messrs Julius Berger to expeditiously work on the reconstruction of  the Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano dual carriageway in order to ensure completion before the end of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration. She explained that the issue of funding has been addressed because the Ministry of Finance has given Six hundred and fifty million US dollars ($650,000,000 USD)  to the National Sovereign Investment Authority  (NSIA) whose responsibility is to generate additional fund to ensure that the Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano dual carriageway and other designated projects are fully funded. In his address, the leader of the delegation and Chief of Staff to President Muhammad Buhari, Professor Ibrahim Gambari, assured the people that  President Muhammad Buhari’s “commitment is real and is going to be realizable before the end of his tenure.” The Managing Director of Messrs. Julius Berger, who also made presentation at the town hall meeting, revealed that the company has introduced a new innovative Cold Recycling method of constructing roads in Nigeria, which he said is being used for the first time on Nigerian roads for the on going  reconstruction of Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano dual carriageway way. He listed the benefits of Cold Recycling as achieving shorter construction time, conservation of resources, cost effectiveness,  enhancing road safety and impacting positively on the environment. The Managing Director also stated that the scope of work on the roads have been divided into  three sections which are; Section One,  Abuja to Kaduna road with 165.5km;  Second Section is Kaduna to Zaria with 73.4km and the Third Section is Zaria to Kano with 137.0km . In attendance at the town hall meeting were the Governor of Kano State, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, the Deputy Governor of Kaduna State, Dr. Hadiza Balarabe who represented the Governor, representatives of the Niger State Governor, Commissioner for Works and Housing and that of the Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Engineer Shehu Hadiza Ahmed. Other Stakeholders at the meeting were legislators from both the National and State Assemblies from the concerned states ,  representatives of the National Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO), the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Community and traditional institutions. ...

Budget 2021: FG To Prioritize Completion Of Ongoing Road, Bridge Projects In Order To Boost Economic Activities, Create More Jobs, Says Fashola * 18 Roads, Bridges earmarked for completion within 12-15 months across the country * Lagos-Ibadan, Abuja-Kaduna-Kano, 2nd Niger Bridge, Ilorin-Jebba, Jega-Tambuwal-Sokoto and Enugu-Port Harcourt, among the list * The Ministry to take as priority the maintenance of Bridges to avoid further deterioration * Also selects 2 roads and a bridge geopolitical per zone for enhanced funding * House Committee Members commend Minister for commitment, dedication in pursuit of infrastructure development The Federal Government will focus on the completion of ongoing road and bridge projects in the country rather than beginning new ones, in the implementation of the 2021 Budget, the Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, SAN, has said in Abuja. Fashola, who spoke during the defense of his Ministry’s proposals in the 2021 Budget; listed roads whose completion would be prioritized during the budget year to include those categorized as A1-A9 adding that 18 of such road projects, which have reached appreciable level of completion have been identified across the country for completion within 12 to 15 months. The roads and bridges, the Minister said, include those leading to the ports and major agricultural hubs across the six geopolitical zones of the country adding that the decision to prioritize those projects was in line with the mandate of President Muhammadu Buhari, whom, he recalled repeatedly emphasized the necessity to focus the Budget on completion of projects. According to him, other categories of road and bridge projects on which the Ministry will focus for completion during the budget year also include those that have attained 70 per cent completion adding that subject to the availability of funds, such projects would be completed as early as possible. The Minister, who was accompanied by the Minister of State, Engr. Abubakar Aliyu, the Permanent Secretary, Mr. Ernest Umakhihe, Directors and other top Ministry officials, said the Ministry would also focus on the maintenance of about 50 Bridges nationwide as a measure to avoid further deterioration of the structures, which he described as critical. Pointing out that some bridges which connect several geopolitical zones and Federal roads had not been maintained for several years before this administration, Fashola added that some of the Bridges required replacement of expansion joints and hand rails while others required major underwater repairs of exposed piles, pile caps and piers. “Bridges like the Third Mainland Bridge, the Koton Karfe Bridge and the Makurdi Bridge are part of about 50 bridges being rehabilitated simultaneously among others”, he said adding that the Ministry also had its focus on the completion of the construction of Chanchangi Bridge along Takum-Wukari Road in Taraba State and Ikom Bridge along Calabar-Ikom Road. Expressing the need for the support of the National Assembly in realizing the stated objectives, Fashola, who put the estimated cost of rehabilitating all the bridges at N80.984 billion, however, pointed out that there was need, in the course of each year, to address washouts and erosion envisaged with the subsiding discharge of flood waters nationwide. “We are mindful of the limitation of resources but the frequency of these natural disasters caused by Climate Change and aging infrastructure must compel us to think of making provisions for emergencies”, he said adding that the international Best Practice for such Emergencies was between 5 and 10 per cent of the Capital Budget. Fashola, who said the Ministry has also selected two roads and a bridge in each of the six geopolitical zones for enhanced funding during the budget year, also listed for adequate funding the Federal Government of Nigeria’s Counterpart Fund for projects financed by the China Exim bank. On the Ministry’s interventions on internal roads in Federal Tertiary institutions across the country, the Minister, who said out of the 43 such projects 18 had been completed, explained that inadequate budgetary provisions had stalled the projects which, according to him, the Ministry started since 2018/2019, adding that the 17.35 percent cut in the 2020 Budget made it impossible to pay Contractors who were being owed N3.31 billion while the money required to fix the remainder is N3.54 billion. Reiterating that the major challenge of the Ministry in completing ongoing projects on time was inadequate budgetary provisions, the Minister explained further that aside the fact that the funds were inadequate, there was also the problem of timely release of funds to sustain annual cash flow requirement level adding that although funds from the Presidential Infrastructure Development Fund (PIDF) and SUKUK Bond had helped to bring some funding relief, the Ministry’s exposure had continued to expand due to annual addition of new projects. He said although the sum provided for Highway projects in the 2021 Budget was an improvement over the 2020 Budget provision for the Sector, it was still inadequate to address the funding challenges of Highway projects pointing out that with about N1.2 Trillion as the Year 2021 projected cash flow requirement, funding for works planned to be executed on the projects in 2021 would have to be “efficiently optimized”. Fashola said in order, therefore, for his Ministry to make significant impact in the improvement of the Federal road network and boost the nation’s economy, there was urgent need to enhance the release of funds for the projects under the Amended 2020 Budget to defray the outstanding payments; enhance Budget ceiling for Highway projects in the 2021 Budget proposal to cover the execution of works during the year and leverage on other alternative funding sources as well as make provision for emergencies to enable Government respond to damage and destruction caused by natural disasters, Climate Change and other unforeseen events. The alternative funds, he explained include the Presidential Infrastructure Development Fund (PIDF), which is being used to rehabilitate, reconstruct and expand the Lagos-Shagamu-Ibadan Dual Carriage way, Construction of Second Niger Bridge and rehabilitation of Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano Dual Carriageway. They also include the SUKUK BOND being used to fund a total of 44 road and bridge projects, which are mainly dual carriageways on major arterial routes A1-A9 on the Federal road network using the 2020 Sovereign SUKUK Issuance and Tax Credit Scheme being used in the construction of Bodo-Bonny Bridge across Opobo Channel in Rivers State and the construction/rehabilitation of Lokoja-Obajana-Kabba-Ilorin Road Section II in Kwara and Kogi States, among others. On the issue of delay in project completion raised by Committee members during the interactive session, the Minister said aside the twin challenges of inadequate funding and delayed releases, there was also the fact that some of the roads carry heavy traffics which had to be managed while construction, reconstruction or rehabilitation was going on adding that it was necessary to put some measures in place for the safety of both the workers and commuters. The Minister told them, “When we talk about delay of projects, I would have loved you to have specifics of what is considered as delays. It is important to understand what happens at the construction site, especially on highways where we are reconstructing and commuters still have traffic”, adding that ideally on a construction site traffic should be shut down. He cited as examples the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos with an average Daily Traffic (ADT) of 122,978 vehicles, the Koton Karfe Bridge with Average Daily Traffic of 11,942 vehicles and the Makurdi Bridge adding that the Lagos-Shagamu-Ibadan carries the heaviest daily traffic in the country followed by the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano Road. On why the SUKUK could not be expanded to fund other road projects as a means of overcoming the problem of inadequate funding, he explained that at every issuance there was a specific amount which the Government could withdraw adding that no money would be left as reserve SUKUK fund. In his contribution during the session, the Minister of State, Engr. Abubakar Aliyu, explained that the seeming delay in the completion of some of the road projects in the North East was as a result of security challenges citing the Yobe-Maiduguri Road where insurgents attacked the CCECC and burnt their equipment. Some of the Committee Members, including the Chairman, commended the Minister for his commitment to and diligence in the pursuit of the Presidential mandate of Infrastructure Development across the country. ...