Ember Months: There Shouldn’t Be Any Barrier On The Roads This Season- Fashola ... Mr. President approved opening of 2nd Niger Bridge for traffic in December... The Honourable Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola SAN said, “There should not be any barrier on the roads this season." He made the remark while chairing a meeting with stakeholders on road sector in Nigeria in Abuja. He said, “We have told all the contractors that they shouldn’t open anymore sections for construction i.e., there shouldn’t be any barrier on the roads this season. “    Fashola also disclosed that President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the opening of the 2nd Niger bridge to traffic from December 15, 2022 to January 15,2023 to ease human, goods, services and vehicular movements during this yuletide from the Western part of the country to the Eastern part. Fashola said, “Let me be clear again, we haven’t finished construction work but we would open it for people to use to relieve the pressure from the old bridge. It wouldn’t be available for heavy duty trucks. It would only be small vehicles for now until we finish our work. On the 15th of January 2023 we would reverse that movement for those coming from the east to the west. We have told all the contractors that they shouldn’t open any sections of Federal roads for construction during the yuletide. That means that there shouldn’t be any barrier on the roads this season."              In his remarks the representative of the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Works and Housing (FMW&H), Engr. Chukwunwike Uzor, Director Highways Planning and Development of the Ministry said that the essence of the ember months meeting was to sensitize road users and other stakeholders towards having a successful road passage. The Director South-West, Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, Engr. Adedamola Kuti during his graphical presentation of the roads under the Ministry on the 2022 ember months stakeholders meeting, highlighted all the critical roads across the six geo political zones of the country under the Ministry, and their conditions with the efforts made so far to put them in good condition towards having good travelling experience during the ember months. Engr. Kuti said “All controllers of works have been directed to remove construction barriers as from the 15th of December 2022 on the roads for road users to have seamless driving during the festive period.” The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of FERMA, Engr. Nuruddeen Abdurahman Rafindadi who spoke at the meeting said, “We have identified some selected locations within 17 corridors where Federal Roads Maintenance Agency is having interventions across the country presently in working relationship with the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing." The representative of the Corps Marshall of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC ) at the event, Assistant Corps Marshal Rindom Kumven  said,  “All Federal Road Safety Commands  have  been directed to collaborate with stakeholders and the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing to implement presidential directive  on road infrastructure and  we have flagged off the ember months sensitization  in all the state commands  to create awareness among the motoring public in order to  have hitch free traffic movement during the ember months. “ From the Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners represented by Kassim Ibrahim, they appreciated the Ministry of Works and Housing and its Agencies for making the roads better. He said, “We will ensure we put the roads into good use."  He drew the attention of the ministry to the activities of some cement companies that ply the roads with overweight cargos. The Second Deputy Chairman of the Petroleum Tankers Drivers, Comrade Peter Mudesola said at the meeting, “We can see that the roads are getting better. We thank the ministry and all the Agencies for the efforts.” The Managing Director of Mothercat Nigeria Limited, Jark Najjar and the Marketing Manager of CGC Nigeria Limited, Engr.  Kevin Jian with all other road contractors at the event thanked the Ministry for financing their operations through regular special funds and budgets. They expressed their readiness to make the roads safe during the yuletide. ...

Our Roads Intervention In Schools Are Great Investment In Education - Fashola ... Intervention brought relief to the entire College Community - Provost Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola has stated that the intervention in the internal roads of tertiary institutions across the country by the federal government is a critical investment in education. The Minister stated this, Tuesday, December 6, 2022 during the official handing over of completed rehabilitation and construction of 1.175 kilometers road and drainages in the Federal College of Education (Technical) Gombe, Gombe State. The Minister was represented at the occasion by the Federal Controller of Works, Gombe State, Engineer Salihu Jibrin. Fashola who described the intervention as a critical support to education, also said “.... the point must be made that although this is a civil works project, it is an investment in education " Explaining the need to bridge infrastructure gap in schools, he said " We have successfully intervened in 64 internal Road projects in various Federal Tertiary Institutions and handed over a total of 46 as at March, 2022 and we now have another 18 ready to be handed over, while we are currently attending to 19 roads in similar institutions across the country making a total of 83 " While acknowledging that a lot of work needs to be done in many sectors of national life, including education, Fashola pointed out that the government of President Muhammadu Buhari has stepped up in leading the process of getting the work done, pointing out that the intervention has contributed immensely to the increased job creation initiative of the FG, revealing that 60 people had been employed during the road construction in the College. In his remarks, the College Provost, Dr Ali Adamu Boderi described the roads intervention in the College as timely as before now, some facilities already being threatened by gully erosion had now been reclaimed. Dr Adamu said " Road’s intervention in the College was timely and has tremendously assisted in reclaiming many of our facilities that were hitherto threatened by potholes and gully erosion, it has also brought relief to the entire College community as well as vehicular movement in the College". The provost appreciated President Muhammadu Buhari and the Minister of Works and Housing Babatunde Fashola for the road’s intervention in his school, praying that the College should also be considered as a beneficiary when similar intervention is conceived in future.    In an interview, Dr. Nasiru Bello, a Principal Lecturer, Department of Education said that, before the intervention, the condition of the roads was extremely bad to the extent that some departments in the college were disconnected. " Some parts of the college were cutoff totally before this intervention, like the new school of science complex to staff quarters down to the college library" he said. Accordingly, he said that, air pollution and visual distraction from pollution was everywhere in the college environment and had significance effect on the health of students before the intervention. " Now that crack pavement, potholes, uneven surface and collapse shoulders on the roads were newly constructed the benefits of this road’s intervention to the learning environment in this college are unquantifiable" Dr Bello said. He further explained that such roads construction in academic environments has reduced transportation time of goods and resources for effective teaching and learning and this also has a positive correlation with student’s enrollment, academic performance, health and safety in the college. Dr Bello commended the Government of President Muhammadu Buhari for witnessing this great deal of commitments to education, saying that the government realized that tertiary institutions in the country are reservoirs of agents of national development.  President of Students Union Government (SUG), Comrade Sahabi Alhassan, a Student of Computer Science Education described the situation in the College as devastating before the intervention.   He said " We found it difficult to move around the school more especially in the night and during rainy season due to the effect of erosion within the school environment and fears of reptiles more especially snakes. Going to lectures, reading in the night is boring those days honestly". Accordingly he stated that the roads intervention has helped a lot in opening the school environment and easing movement within by allowing access to so many places that can't be reached before because of erosion. " There is no more fear of such reptiles now. Our security has improved tremendously. Security as we all know is one of the major issues required by students on campus, but today the story is that security is now efficient and guaranteed " he added. The SUG President thanked the College Provost for his determination in ensuring that the project was executed in the College, and also appreciated the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing for the job well done.  " Words are not enough to describe how this government impacted on the students with this kind of intervention, we were honestly excited with the intervention and we have also come to realize how students friendly this government is” he said. Sunday Thliza Mjigimtu, SERVICOM Focal Officer in the College said the conditions of the road network in the College before the intervention was very terrible. He said " The main road that links the College main gate down to the virtual Library and the academic areas was very bad with potholes all over. The one that linked the female hostel, football pitch and the College Chapel was not motorable because of the heap of sand that was all over. The new Science complex was completely cut-off by gully erosion. The staff quarters were not easily accessible". Mr Sunday also stated that the impact and benefits of the intervention is enormous, as everywhere in the College is now motorable, water tanks can now supply water to students' hostels, staff quarters and college farm, while motorists now have smooth drive and can move around with convenience. Accordingly, he said, Students are now having free access to academic areas, sporting fields, places of worship and all the inaccessible roads are now motorable. He described President Mohammadu Buhari's road infrastructure as laudable, timely and a welcome development in all tertiary institutions of higher learning. The 1.175 kilometers internal road handed over in the Federal College of Education Technical, Gombe connects among other buildings in the College; Academic Complex; School of Business Education; CBT Center; College Library and Sports Complex. Others are; Admin Block; Females and Males Hostels; Auditorium; Central Masjid and School of Science Education. A short drama presentation capturing the benefits and transformation brought about in the College by the road intervention was performed as well as the display of cultural dances during this colourful event. ...

Constructed Roads Are Depreciating Assets - Fashola The Honourable Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN has stated that constructed roads across the federation are   assets to the nation which depreciates over time and should be maintained. He made the clarification at the celebration of the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) 20th Anniversary held on 1st December, 2022 at NAF Conference Centre, Kado, Abuja. Fashola revealed that road construction is a life impacting asset that should not be toyed with.  Noting that from the day any road is opened for use to motorists that is when the life span and asset value of that road begins to go down which already is calling for maintenance. “So, from the day when you start to drive on the road, the asset value of that road begins to go down and therefore you are already generating a maintenance need and this is perhaps the way it should be and this takes us to the larger issue of the need for maintenance in the construction industry,” he said. Fashola noted that engineers in road construction have a lot to do after each road construction and commissioning for motorists.  He said they need to teach people all the necessary things they need to know about road construction starting from how roads are built to the dos and don’ts that perhaps bring the biggest step of maintenance to the fore. “Engineers have a lot of work to do.  Teaching people how roads are built, and what roads do not like.  In order for the teaching to stay long with people, the teaching must not be done with technical language. There are engineers in almost every community in Nigeria, if people understand the dos and don’ts of roads that perhaps is the biggest step towards the maintenance, which has started because roads are depreciating assets,” he said. The Minister reaffirms that maintenance and operation create high number and lasting jobs for citizens and that is why President Muhammadu Buhari appropriately signed Executive Order No 11 which states that maintenance is not a culture but an economy that we must appropriately nurture because of its bountiful nature. “The experts will tell you that after design and construction all of which employ less than 40% of the work force, it is maintenance and operation that create the longest lasting jobs and employ the longest and largest number of people and this is why President Buhari has appropriately signed Executive Order No. 11, the Maintenance Order, saying to all of us that maintenance is not a culture, it is one that we must appropriately nurture because it is bountiful,” he said. Fashola announced the institutionalization of facility maintenance in the system saying that it creates a lot of opportunities to the general populace both direct and indirect, creates long term jobs, a large supply value chain of small businesses, engaging the artisans and sustaining the larger economy.  He added that the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing is undertaking maintenance in 24 Federal Secretariat complexes across the country with a facility manager assigned to each and at least 40 persons are employed which is expanding the implementation of the Executive Order No.11. He added that very soon the importance of maintaining assets in turn will automatically reach every part of the country. The Minister reiterated that road is a life impacting asset, a total economic package that many people’s lives and livelihood depend upon.  He added that there is large economic dependence on the movement of millions of people on the highways at different points and parks on the highways. Fashola congratulated FERMA on their 20th anniversary celebration and all the invited guests for rejoicing with them.  He admonished FERMA to keep the ball rolling and encouraged them to start advocacy work to compliment all their efforts and what the ministry is doing also. During his welcome address, the Chairman Governing Board of FERMA, Mr. Babatunde Olakunle Lemo, OFR thanked the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing for being extremely helpful and supportive to them.  He appreciated the efforts of the former governing board of FERMA saying it is the foundation they laid that is keeping them moving.  He welcomed all the guests and wished them all the best. While delivering his keynote address, the Managing Director of FERMA, Engr. Nurudeen Rafindadi, presented a Book titled “FERMA @ 20, the Journey so far, challenges and way forward,” and thanked the Minister of Works and Housing and the Ministry as a whole for giving them the freedom to operate and being with them in all they do. Speaking at the event   the Honourable Minister of State Works and Housing, Hon. Umar Ibrahim EL-Yakubu said: “Congratulations FERMA on your 20th anniversary and to all those who have supported your journey towards changing the future of our road network.” Commenting also was the Chairman Senate Committee on FERMA, Sen. Gershom Bassey, who urged FERMA to achieve zero portholes on the nation’s highways and advocated for minimum of two options of traveling for travelers.  You either go by road or by air not zeroing everyone to fly because the roads are bad. In a goodwill message the Chairman House Committee on FERMA, Hon. Femi Bamisile, requested that FERMA should install weigh bridges on our roads to check axle loads and apportion appropriate sanctions on defaulters. The highlights of the event were a book launch to commemorate the 20th existence of FERMA as an Agency of government titled, “FERMA Footprints in National Road Infrastructure Maintenance (2018 – 2021)” which was unveiled by the Special Assistant to Mr. President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adeshina, OFR, the unveiling of the 20th Anniversary Logo plus FERMA Footprint and also the launching of FERMA short code. There was also a Panel Discussion Topic:” FERMA at Twenty: Achieving Her Mandate in Uncertain Times,” anchored by Mrs. Claire Adelabu-Abdulrazak. Present at the occasion were: the representative of President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, the Honourable Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola SAN, CON, the Honourable Minister of State for Works and Housing, Hon. Umar Ibrahim El-Yakubu, the Honourable Minister of Water Resources, Engr. Suleiman Adamu, the Chairman Senate Committee on FERMA, Sen. Gershom Bassey, the Chairman House Committee on FERMA, Hon. Femi Bamisile, pasts Chairmen FERMA Governing Board, past Managing Directors of FERMA and a host of other dignitaries. ...