Federal Ministry of Works

Jul

2026

LATEST PRESS

FG FLAGS OFF CONSTRUCTION OF AKWANGA–JOS–BAUCHI–GOMBE–BIU—MAIDUGURI SUPERHIGHWAY, COMMISSIONS AKWANGA TOWNSHIP DUAL CARRIAGEWAY AND UNDERPASS

The Federal Government has officially flagged off the construction of Section One of the 700-kilometre Akwanga–Jos–Bauchi–Gombe–Biu—Maiduguri Superhighway, reaffirming President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR's commitment to delivering transformative infrastructure under the Renewed Hope Agenda.

The flag-off ceremony, held on the 1st July, 2026, in Akwanga, Nasarawa State, where the President, His Excellency Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, was represented by the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Prof. Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda, stated that the project is one of the President's four Renewed Hope Legacy Road Projects, designed to transform Nigeria's transportation network, strengthen national integration, improve security, facilitate trade, and stimulate economic growth across the North-Central and North-East geopolitical zones.

The first phase of the project covers approximately 125 kilometres from Akwanga in Nasarawa State to Jos in Plateau State and forms part of the larger 700-kilometre, six-lane, continuously reinforced concrete pavement (CRCP) superhighway stretching through Nasarawa, Kaduna, Plateau, Bauchi, Gombe, Yobe, and Borno States.
The President's representative praised the Minister of Works for his exceptional leadership and dedication to transforming Nigeria's road sector, describing him as one of the administration's most outstanding performers.
He described the Minister of Works as “the shining light of the Renewed Hope Administration.”

Speaking at the ceremony, the Honourable Minister of Works, Engr. Sen. David Umahi, CON, FNSE, FNATE, disclosed that the project is a landmark investment that will improve connectivity, reduce travel time, enhance road safety, lower transportation costs, create jobs, and unlock the region’s economic potential. He explained that the Akwanga–Maiduguri Superhighway is one of four legacy highway corridors being implemented simultaneously by the Federal Government, alongside the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway, the Sokoto–Badagry, and the Calabar–Abuja (Trans Sahara) Superhighways.

The Minister reiterated the Federal Government's commitment to CRCP technology to ensure greater durability, lower maintenance costs, and a lifespan of up to 100 years. He commended President Tinubu for his untiring support for infrastructure development and urged the contractor to deliver quality work, while engaging local communities through employment, skills acquisition, and technology transfer.

The President's representative also commissioned the newly completed Akwanga Township Dual Carriageway and Underpass, executed by the Nasarawa State Government under the leadership of the Governor, His Excellency, Engr. Abdullahi Sule, CON. He commended him for complementing the Federal Government's infrastructure drive through strategic investments in road development across the state.

In his Welcome Address, the Honourable Minister of State for Works, Bello Muhammad Goronyo, Esq., stated that the Superhighway would serve as a major transportation corridor linking North-Central and North-East Nigeria, while facilitating trade, agriculture, investment, and national security.

Also speaking at the well-attended event, the Honourable Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammad Idris, highlighted the Federal Government's unprecedented investment in infrastructure, education, healthcare, and economic reforms, noting that the Renewed Hope Agenda is delivering tangible benefits across all sectors and the country.

The Honourable Minister of Women Affairs, Hon. Imaan Sulaiman Ibrahim, described the project as another demonstration of the administration's commitment to inclusive development, noting that investments in infrastructure are being complemented by programmes supporting businesses, women, and youth development.

Governor Sule expressed appreciation to President Tinubu for approving the project, describing it as a strategic national corridor that will connect communities, boost commerce, and attract investments across the region.

Speaking on behalf of the benefiting states, Governor Barr. Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang of Plateau State said the commencement of the project is the fulfilment of a long-standing aspiration of the people of the region and commended the Federal Government for making its promise a reality.

The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Works, Mr. Rafiu Olarinre Adeladan, stated that the project represents a new era in highway development in Nigeria and reaffirmed the Ministry's commitment to quality delivery, transparency, and value for money.

The Managing Director of CGC (Nig.) Ltd., Engr. Zhong Xiang assured the Federal Government, the State Governors on the road’s corridor, and all Nigerians of the company's readiness to deliver the project safely, professionally, on schedule, and in accordance with international standards and best practices.

The Federal Ministry of Works reaffirmed its commitment to delivering strategic road infrastructure that will strengthen national unity, promote inclusive economic growth, and improve the quality of life of Nigerians, in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of the Administration of President Tinubu, GCFR.

Jun

2025

HON MINISTER OF WORKS, DEPLOYS MINISTRY’S PERSONNEL, MAINTENANCE TEAM OF CONCESSIONAIRE TO THE RECENTLY FLOODED SECTION OF COMPLETED LAFIA-MAKURDI ROAD, TASKS THEM ON PERMANENT SOLUTION TO FLOODING ALONG THE CARRIAGEWAY -APOLOGIZES TO MR. PRESIDENT, ROAD USERS FOR THE EMBARRASSMENT CAUSED BY NEGLIGENCE OF THE CONCESSIONAIRE WHOSE DUTY IS TO OPERATE AND MAINTAIN THE ROAD. In a passionate response to the flooding situation that occurred along Lafia-Makurdi road that severely disrupted traffic flow on 18th June 2025, the Honourable Minister of Works, His Excellency, Sen. Engr. Nweze David Umahi, CON has directed the immediate deployment of the Ministry’s personnel and the maintenance team of China Harbour Operations and Maintenance Company, concessionaire for Abuja-Keffi-Akwanga-Lafia-Makurdi road to bring effective and permanent solution to flood disturbances along the road. In a Press Statement made in his office on 19th June 2025, the Honourable Minister condemned the unfortunate negligence by the concessionaire whose duty under the Highways Development Management Initiative (HDMI) of the Federal Government is to operate and maintain the road. “We have got information on the unfortunate flooding of a section of Keffi-Makurdi road which is under HDMI, that is, a PPP with China Harbour. We know that the project has been completed and it is tolled, but unfortunately yesterday there were a lot of debris that covered an existing culvert there and that led to flooding but in the midst of that rain we deployed our Ministry of Works personnel in Makurdi State and also the China Harbour personnel and they had to go to the inlet of the culvert and removed all the debris and the flood has been totally evacuated.” That section of the road has been reinstated He directed the concessionaire to critically assess the primary cause, provide a permanent solution to flooding along the carriageway, and take all steps necessary to prevent future occurrence. "We apologize very profusely to Mr. President and Nigerians, for the embarrassment, this unfortunate incident caused him and Nigerians." He commended the President for his fatherly intervention in the unfortunate incident in Benue State. "We also commend Mr. President very highly for his fatherly role in Benue State. His visit there has made a lot of impact in the lives of the people of Benue State and everyone living in that place. With God on his side, Benue people shall see sustainable peace and progress." Speaking earlier during the courtesy visit of the Managing Director/CEO of Citibank Nigeria Ltd, Nneka Enwereji, the Honourable Minister highlighted some of the initiatives of Federal Government of Nigeria under the present administration to improve the quantity and quality of the road assets in Nigeria, especially the initiative to construct the four Renewed Hope Legacy Projects which are critical road infrastructure necessary for the economic advancement of the nation. He sought for the partnership of the bank by investing on any of the Renewed Hope Legacy Projects “I'm happy to have Citibank Executives here in my office today to discuss how they can partner with us over the four Legacy Projects of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR and also other infrastructural developments in the country. We have had a very fruitful meeting, and I am very happy that the efforts of Mr President on external inflow is yielding desired result and that the international community has commended him very highly on his transformative reforms. This project shall be realized by the courage and commitment of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR.” In her mission statement, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Citibank Nigeria Ltd, expressed the willingness of the Bank to partner with Federal Government of Nigeria through sustainable investment and funding in the development of those projects that would make a positive impact to the progress of the country. She expressed pleasure over the impressive strides of the Renewed Hope administration, which are necessary to build investor’s confidence. “We are here as Citibank to discuss how we can effectively partner with you,to know the project you are undertaking, and see how we can leverage the access that we have to support some of those projects and make a positive impact to the progress of the country. We want to discuss some of the specifics and some of the projects that we are already looking at in the country. We are very impressed with the big strides that you are making. And we want to support that as much as we can.” Hon. Barr. Orji Uchenna Orji Special Adviser (Media) to the Honourable Minister of Works ...

Jun

2025

PPP IS SOLE DRIVER OF INFRASTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT -Barrister Goronyo The Nigeria Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Summit 2025, hosted by the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC), had the theme: Role of Public-Private Partnerships in Delivering the Renewed Hope Agenda". Its aim was to assemble policymakers, investors, and industry leaders to engage in insightful discussions about the evolving landscape of infrastructure in Nigeria and its global implications. The Summit, which held on June 17 and 18 at the State House Banquet Hall and Congress Hall, Transcorp Hilton in Abuja, Nigeria, also explored how collaborative efforts between the public and private sectors can drive transformative change. The Federal Ministry of Works, which is a major stakeholder in this initiative, was represented at the event by its Minister of State, Barrister Bello Mohammed Goronyo, who presented to the Summit, the perspective of his ministry on Highway Development and Management Initiative ( HDMI) and various concessions under PPP arrangements like the 227.2km Akwanga-Lafiya -keffi and the recently signed 127km Benin-Asaba Barrister Goronyo actively participated in and impacted on.the panel discussion, where he emphasised the commitment of the administration of President Ahmed Bola Tinibu to fix Nigeria's infrastructural deficit, revealing that Nigeria has over 200,000km of roads 35,000,km of which are of Federal. He told the Summit that the current government inherited over 2,600projects, with a total worth of about 19 trillion, explaining that since the nation's budget cannot fund these projects, there is a necessity for PPP as a feasible option. The Minister pointed to the need for concessionaires to be open and transparent in their agreement because "we cannot in the name of PPP, mortgage our country by signing agreements that tend to favour concessionaires." Barrister Goronyo expressed appreciation to President Tinubu for recognising infrastructure as key driver of economic growth and development. ...

Jun

2025

WORKS MINISTER ORDERS TERMINATION OF CONTRACT WITH LEVANT CONSTRUCTION LTD ON BENIN- SAPELE-WARRI ROAD PROJECT FOR NON-PERFORMANCE DIRECTS JOINT MEASUREMENT. DESCRIBES AS ABSOLUTELY UNFOUNDED MALICIOUS AND UNCHARITABLE SPECULATIONS THAT THE NORTH IS BEING MARGINALIZED ON ROAD INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT UNDER THE RENEWED HOPE ADMINISTRATION The Honourable Minister of Works,His Excellency, Sen. Engr. Nweze David Umahi CON has ordered the termination of the contract with Levant Construction Ltd on the reconstruction of Benin-Sapele-Warri Road (Section 1: Benin - Imasabor) being executed under Road Infrastructure Development and Refurbishment Investment Tax Credit Scheme, due to non-performance. In a briefing after a meeting with the Chief Executives of GELD Construction Ltd and SKECC Nigeria Ltd over the delay in the execution of the Benin-Sapele-Warri road project held in his office, Mabushi-Abuja on 17th June 2025, and which had in attendance, the Honourable Minister of State for Works, Rt. Hon. Bello Muhammad Goronyo Esq, the Permanent Secretary Federal Ministry of Works, Engr.Olufunso Adebiyi, and directors of key departments, the Honourable Minister expressed disapproval over the failure and/or neglect of Messrs Levant to live up to expectation in their contractual duties in respect of the section of the road awarded to them. He stated, “We have three sections there. We have the Levant section. Unfortunately, Levant has not lived up to expectation. We even had to intervene and beg the Governor of Edo State to please get the worst sections of that route done. We divided the worst sections into two and told Levant to concentrate on one part. While the Governor of Edo State intervened,which I think is about 23 kilometers for N35 billion, and that section the Governor of Edo State intervened is ongoing very well, Levant has since left site. We gave them a series of warning letters. We also gave them the last termination notice. When a termination notice is given to you, it is for you within 14 days to go back to the site and begin to do those things you were not doing. This time is for them to remobilize to the site and for them to work, but they did not respond." He directed the Permanent Secretary get the job properly terminated and write them a letter for a joint measurement, and also to write their bank to request for repayment of the APG failing which the matter would be taken to EFCC. The Honourable Minister, however, expressed satisfaction with the outcome of the discussion with SKECC Nigeria Ltd and Geld Construction Ltd over the need for them to step up work on the respective sections of the road project being handled by them. He commended the Governor of Delta State, His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori and the Governor of Edo State, His Excellency,Rt Sen. Monday Okpebholo for their interventions on some kilometers of that road project. “I have called the Governor of Delta State, and I commend him for the very beautiful work he's doing. Three flyovers at the same time, beautiful flyovers. In this country, we need such beauties. We have also learned from that design. So we appealed to him to get any contractor within that zone to put ten kilometers with reinforced concrete. He has accepted to do that. So I commend him very highly, which means that the Governor of Edo State is intervening in that section, and the Governor of Delta State is intervening in that section. We are grateful to them." On the jobs by Messrs SKECC and Messrs Geld, the Honourable Minister stated, “SKECC has about one kilometer which they started with milled asphalt, yes the money in the budget for SKECC within their own section, NNPC allocation, is exhausted. But we are pleading with them to go back and remedy this one kilometer that they have milled the existing asphalt." For Messrs Geld, he said, "Geld has accepted to go back to their own section, and we've agreed to review their project to cater for the unforeseen circumstances that they encountered. So they are going back to the site, and we've agreed to work very well with them. And we're happy about that. And the second job they have, which is Lokoja-Abuja road, we've also agreed that they should go back to the site and review the project, because as of today, the asphalt cost is 9,000 per square meter, whereas asphalt is about 30,000 per square meter. So they are going back to the site on trust, and we're going to do that. And then you get to Itoki – Ikorodu road, which is 34 kilometers. We've agreed with them on all the issues. They are going back to the site, and I thank Mr. President for his interest in all the projects in the federation.” While reacting to statements by some groups who purport to speak on behalf of Northern Elders and who alleged that the Federal Ministry of Works is doing more projects in the South than in the North, the Honourable Minister debunked such impressions as false and misleading, noting that the Renewed Hope administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, has been consistently inclusive in the implementation of road and bridge projects across the six (6) Geo-Political zones, both in the execution of the inherited ongoing road projects and in the distribution of the Renewed Hope road Legacy Projects. While recounting the numerous ongoing projects in the north, he stated, “ In this ministry, we don't count where anybody came from. We don't count where projects are cited. We are using the example of Mr. President who came on board. He took all the inherited projects of the ministry and continued to go with them. He didn't want to know the lopesidedness of the projects. For example, this Tax Credit of NNPC is only 5% in South West and 4% in South East, Niger State has 26% alone. So, he didn't want to care about where these inherited projects are. He had to, as a very unique leader, take over the entire thing, and he's going on with them. And so we should stop looking at a project as it's coming from the North, it's coming from the South because the Southern people use the roads of the North, and the Northern people use the roads of the South. So we should see ourselves as one people one country, this is very important.” Also responding to other uninformed criticisms on the distribution and funding of projects across the Zones, he said, "they talked about Second Niger Bridge. They talked about Lagos-Ibadan. They said Lagos-Ibadan is ₦195 billion. What they didn't know is that ₦195 billion is the total contract sum from the past administration, and that what this administration is putting to complete the project is only ₦33 billion. So it's not ₦195 billion. They talked about Second Niger Bridge. This section II A is ₦134 billion, and section II B is ₦174 billion. Now, if you look at the projects in the North, just to properly inform the people, you look at Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria- Kano road, Sections I and III. It's ₦252 billion. 30% is already paid for that job. And it's being done with the same quality of Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway. The job is ongoing. Section II is 164 kilometers, and it is ₦525 billion. And it's being done with concrete, the same quality of Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway. Mr. President has approved 30% payment, which is ₦152 billion, and work is ongoing. You come and see the project that was awarded in March 2023, which is the Sokoto-Zamfara-Katsina-Kaduna, a total of 750 kilometers, totaling initial cost of ₦825 billion. That project is ongoing.There was no shovel on the project before we came on board. It's Mr. President that is doing the project. In Sokoto axis, by August, CBC would have completed about 50 kilometers on Continuously Reinforced Concrete, the same quality Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project. We have the Mothercat. We have the Tracta. We have the Sectraco working, major top companies that are doing the project. We have Zaria-Nkru project, which is 152 kilometers.That project is ongoing. We have the project that covers the BUA Tax Credit, which is 256 kilometers, that is going through Jigawa, Kano, Katsina. It's also under BUA Tax Credit. We have the Kano Northern Bypass. That project is ongoing. We have Section l of Kano-Maiduguri, 100.9 kilometers by Tracta. That project is ongoing. We have the Dikwa project, which is 52 kilometers in Borno State. That project is ongoing under Dangote Tax Credit.You have the Bama project in Borno State, which is 49 kilometers. That project is ongoing under Dangote Tax Credit. We have section V of the Kano - Maiduguri project being done by CCECC, that project is ongoing. We have the fourth Renewed Hope Legacy Project of Mr. President, which is the Akwanga- Jos-Bauchi-Gombe Superhighway, 439 kilometers. We are completing the design by the directive of Mr. President. It was on flexible pavement. President said, "No, I want it double carriageway, three lanes each, concrete pavement. We have the Maraba-Keffi project, 43 kilometers by two, ₦73 billion by China Harbor. That project is ongoing. We have the Makurdi down to 9th mile Enugu, 260 kilometers by two, which is about a billion U.S. dollar project. That project is ongoing. We have the Manado project in Kebbi State. That project is ongoing. Time will fail me to read out the projects that Mr. President is doing in the North and also doing in the South. So, when you look at the four legacy projects of the President, the North has 52%, and the South has 48%. Let me tell you something. People talk about Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway. Yes, we procured Section I, which is ₦1.068 trillion, 30% has been paid. We procured Section II, which is the flyovers of Section I and Section II, passing through Dangote Refinery, passing through swamp, which is about ₦1.6 trillion. Yes, we have procured Section III A and III B, which is the end of the project, in Akwa Ibom and Cross River, which is about ₦1.33 trillion. When you aggregate this thing, this is about 3 point something trillion Naira. But then you get to Kebbi, we have 258 kilometers of one carriageway, which we procured for about ₦958 billion, only one section. The second carriageway is going to FEC. So, when you put the two together, you have about ₦2 trillion on the Kebbi axis alone. Then Sokoto is 120 kilometers, where my brother, the Honourable Minister of State for Works, hails from. We've already procured ₦454 billion for the 120 kilometers. And by the time you procure the second one, you're almost about a trillion. So, the two together are about ₦3 trillion. It is done with the same quality of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway. The one that's coming from Cross River to Ebonyi, to Benue, to Kogi to Nasarawa, to Abuja, Section I has been procured which is ₦362 billion for 118 kilometers. It is being procured, and we are just reviewing it to include an additional 5 kilometers of road because of underlying factors. So, Mr. President is very committed. I've never seen such a unique President." For those who criticize the pace of work on Eleme-Onne project, which is also a Tax Credit project, the Honourable Minister explained, "When we came on board, the total cost was ₦156 billion for 30 kilometers of the road, and plus decompile towards Akwa Ibom section of the East West road, and then also a bridge at Aleto, and then four flyovers. One flyover has been started at refinery junction, and then Aleto Bridge is ongoing, very beautiful design, 80-meter span there, which is a beauty to behold. Let me say that the contractor, RCC, after the initial fight with them,they are behaving very well and doing beautiful work now. People were saying that we did not complete one carriageway. We've completed one carriageway. But they now say, oh, if you've completed, why are you doing asphalt on the same carriageway? If you go and check where we are doing asphalt on the same carriageway, you will find out that it is on the location of the flyover. We are not supposed to do that. But because we wanted a seamless traffic movement, we said, "Okay, come and do asphalt in those locations." The Honourable Minister expressed commitment to the Ministry’s mission of restoring the confidence of Nigerians on the road infrastructure nationwide and thus make the people appreciate the transformational power of the renewed Hope administration of Mr. President. Hon. Barr. Orji Uchenna Orji Special Adviser (Media) to the Honourable Minister of Works ...

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Nov

2025

OTHER NEWS

Feb

2022

FG Completes, Hands Over 1km Road to Fedpoly Kazaure

The fast moving train in the Season of Completion and Impact involving the commissioning of projects under the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing moved to Jigawa State, North Western Nigeria, Thursday, February 24th, 2022.

Hussaini Adamu Federal Polytechnic, Kazaure in Jigawa State was the beneficiary this time around. And the project commissioned and handed over consisted of four link roads totalling one kilometer length rehabilitated with asphalt overlay in the institution by the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing.

The four link roads were: Road A linking four classrooms and three lecture halls; Road B linking the three halls with the 500-seater lecture theatre; Road C linking the 500-seater theatre with students’ hostel; while Road D connect the students hostel and the accommodation tower.

In his address, the Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, SAN, represented by the Federal Controller of Works in Jigawa State, Engr. Atewolara Oladele Gabriel said that the Ministry was working on 76 road projects in selected Federal Tertiary Institutions across the nation.

"We have successfully intervened in the internal road networks of 46 Tertiary Institutions and handed over 29 as at 2021 and we now have another 17 ready to be handed over while we are currently attending to 30 roads in similar institutions across the country making a total of 76", he said.

The Minister explained that the quality of infrastructure in the tertiary institutions would improve the learning environment, and impact positively on the quality of education, pointing out that the feedbacks from the students of the schools where this type of intervention had taken place testified to it.

"The summary of all the feedbacks from students and Management staff of the institutions has demonstrated that the gap of the nation's infrastructure needs is steadily being bridged by a gradual process of repairs and construction on the major highways and schools," he said.

Accordingly, the Minister stated that the construction of the internal roads in the tertiary institutions by Federal Government was a pointer to the progressive ideals of the Buhari administration in improving the human condition by supporting education.

In his response, the Rector of the Polytechnic, Dr. Sabo Wada Dutse, expressed happiness and excitement at the intervention, which he described as significant to the development of the Polytechnic.

The Rector stated that, with the road intervention, the Polytechnic community was now living at peace with no fears of reptiles which the area was prone to before the intervention.
He, however, solicited further intervention by the Federal government in areas like street and security lights and construction of sports complex in the Polytechnic whenever the opportunity arises.

Chairman Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, Federal Polytechnic Kazaure Chapter, Dr. Abdul'azeez Ibrahim Badaru, expressed appreciation to the Minister for including the Polytechnic in the Tertiary Schools Road Intervention Scheme.

He said ", this will ease the stress of both staff and students. The access roads will enhance the environment and improve teaching and learning”. He also thanked the immediate past Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Alh. Babangida Hussain, for what he has done for the Fedpoly Kazaure
" I want to appeal to the Honourable Minister to please include Federal Polytechnic Kazaure in the Housing scheme of the Ministry as the houses in the school are very few and very old, built by the Jigawa State Government before the conversion of the Polytechnic to a federal institution”, Dr Badaru added

Accordingly, he said the gesture would alleviate the suffering of the staff, who mostly come from Kano and other distant places, adding that it would also boost morale and performance, suggesting that the Ministry should construct at least 100 units of houses.

The President of the Students Union Government, Fedpoly Kazaure, comrade Adamu Sani Yarima, expressed profound gratitude to the Federal government and the Ministry of Works and Housing under the watch of Mr. Babatunde Fashola for supporting the Institution with the roads.
Comrade Yarima, also requested for more interventions especially in recreational facilities such as sports complex in the polytechnic.

SPEECHES

Sep

2021

BEING THE TEXT OF H.E BABATUNDE RAJI FASHOLA, SAN AT THE 27TH MEETING OF THE NATIONAL COUNCIL ON WORKS AND HOUSING HELD AT THE COMMAND GUEST HOUSE, BAUCHI, BAUCHI STATE ON THURSDAY, 23RD SEPTEMBER, 2021

It is a very exciting homecoming for me to return to Bauchi State, named after the ancient and historic Emirate of Bauchi, the home of the Yankari Game Reserve, a great gift of nature to Nigeria.

But Bauchi is not just home to Yankari, it is home to some very great and inimitable patriots who have served our country.

Perhaps Bauchi’s most famous son is Abubakar Tafewa Balewa, but Bauchi also gave Nigeria the Katagums, the Giades, the Toros, the Ahmeds, the Yugudas and so many other illustrious sons and daughters who have dedicated their lives to the service of our nation.

Of course we could not have this event here today without the support and commitment of another Bauchi son, who has followed the path of his illustrious predecessors in public service.

I speak of none other than our chief host HE Sen. Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed, former Minister of the Federal Capital and now Governor of Bauchi State.

Your Excellency, I bring to you and the people of Bauchi the goodwill of the Federal Government and the best wishes of President Muhammadu Buhari and thank you for accepting to host this National Council.

Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, the theme chosen for this year‘s council is “Infrastructure delivery, The Maintenance Economy and National Prosperity” and I hope it would help all of us focus on, not just the importance of the investment in infrastructure, but more importantly on the maintenance of infrastructure, the economy around maintenance and sustainable and long lasting jobs that are created through maintenance.

Since the implementation of the Marshall plan in 1948, after the Second World War, it has become clear to any serious minded economist or politician that infrastructure provision is critical to development, growth, wealth creation, employment and prosperity.

I have said and I will repeat it here, that infrastructure investment is the most legitimate way to distribute wealth in any economy.

This is why it is not surprising that during campaigns for elections and after elections, you will find discussions not only centering around roads, bridges, rails, schools, hospitals, water supply and power supply to be provided, you will also find that in the inauguration speech of every President, Prime Minister, Governor and other elected public officers, time is dedicated to addressing the provision of infrastructure.

I am sure our host will recall that he made similar commitments in his inauguration speech on May 29, 2019:

“…at the core of this mandate is the crucial drive to give Bauchi State citizens a better prospect and greater opportunity for a prosperous life. Reducing poverty and empowering our citizens in the areas of Agriculture, Education, urban and rural infrastructure among others.”

The reason for this is not far-fetched. The nations that are richer than us have more infrastructure than us and in order to bridge this gap we have to invest; because no nation or community can grow bigger than the stock of infrastructure.

Infrastructure also helps to make people efficient, it creates competition and leads to productivity. Currently the Federal Government is executing 895 contracts in 795 projects spanning over 13,000 km of roads and bridges nationwide.

Across all of these, engineers, geologists, surveyors, lawyers, bankers, suppliers, artisans and laborers are involved in an ecosystem of enterprise from which they earn a daily, weekly or other periodic income.

But that is only part of the story, the employment. The other parts include improved asset value, because everywhere a new road or bridge is built, the land value appreciates by up to 30% creating enormous capital gain.

On the completed sections of the roads, journeys that used to take days now take only a few hours, journeys that took hours are now reduced to minutes; and if it is true that time is money, clearly reduced journey times currently being delivered across Nigerian roads is money either through savings on journeys and fuel cost, or utilization of time saved for other productive activities, not to mention the Health benefits attributable to shorter travel time and reduced stress.

So when President Buhari committed on June 12, 2019 to taking 100 million people out of poverty in 10 years, his vision was not a Federal Government vision but a national one, which has started with the work being undertaken in all states and FCT and to which the Federal Government is contributing through infrastructure.

In the pursuit of this National vision, I urge all of us to embrace the more wholistic view and definition of poverty as not only the number of jobs, or amount of cash, but also well-being, efficiency and the lack of access.

For example if a one-hour journey takes six hours even in the best car, or land value is stagnant because it lacks an access road, the reversal of these situations by improved journey time or provision of access roads are steps towards prosperity.

Similarly, all those employed in the process of building the roads, surveyors, contractors, engineers, bankers, artisans, suppliers and lawyers have certainly been impacted on the income side.

Regrettably we cannot build forever and so when the infrastructure project is completed, most of those employed in the building must leave the site to look for new opportunities.

This is the heart of the matter and this is the message that the theme of this council seeks to focus on. What should we do in addition to building infrastructure, in order to keep the jobs on.

The answer, Ladies and Gentlemen is simple. We must maintain the infrastructure we built.

This is important for many reasons, the first of which is that we preserve the life of the infrastructure and get the best value for the money we spent on it.

The second reason is that a maintenance economy is a critical contributor and driver of GDP in many economies around the world.

You will notice that I have spoken about a “maintenance economy” not a “maintenance culture.” This is because maintenance is not a cultural thing, it is an existential matter of survival, bread and butter and income.

Available data shows that in the “built industry” only about 30% of the manpower is employable by design and construction which lasts until the project is completed; while the remaining 70% are employed in the process of “operation” and “maintenance” of the infrastructure.

These are the reasons why the development of a maintenance economy must commend itself to all of us here and why we must all return home not only to think about it, but to do something about it.

The question is what needs to be done? My answer is that we must develop policies to stimulate the economy of maintenance.

All that we need to do is take a look at the state of existing infrastructure, and we are likely to see bridges with damaged expansion joints and bearings, buildings with broken windows and leaking pipes, doors that do not lock properly, toilets that do not work well and so much more.

If we reflect on what we see, we will realize that these are jobs for plumbers, carpenters, printers, foundry workers and many more skilled and unskilled people in our country and it is our responsibility to connect these people to the opportunities that infrastructure in disrepair represents for sustainable employment.

The Federal Government has already initiated such a policy in 2019, and we are now at implementation stage.

This has seen the Head of the Federal Civil Service approve the creation of the Department for Federal Public Asset Maintenance.

The next step is for each Ministry Department and Agency (MDA) of government to set up their own units for maintenance, undertake a condition assessment of their infrastructure, develop a maintenance plan, and implement the procurement for annual periodic and scheduled maintenance.

You might want to ask what this will do? My answer is that it will immediately begin to create jobs.

From the first stage of condition assessment, people are employed to inspect, assess, measure, document, photograph and do many things in the process of ascertaining what the infrastructure needs.

In 9 (nine) facilities that we assessed the conditions of fittings such as fans, air conditioners, light fittings, toilets and wash hand basin, we found that out of 41,800 installations 12,459 representing 29.8% were not functioning. These are people’s jobs to repair, supply, replace and install as the case may be.

The development of the maintenance plan and the procurement plan leading to invitation to tender and award of maintenance contracts for rehabilitation and facility management is a sure pathway to job creation.

Currently we are undertaking maintenance works on 41 (Forty-One) bridges that has employed 1,157 people directly and created 3,309 indirect jobs and we have facility management contracts for 25 federal secretariats across Nigeria after we completed renovation works. Each facility manager employs at least 40 people.

This is only a tip of the iceberg because the supply side that supports maintenance involves the purchase and supply of paint, bleach, rakes, brooms and other tools which create employment for small and medium size enterprises which is another activity of economic empowerment.

When we started the office of Facility Management in Lagos State, I recall one day when we awarded contracts for the facility management of 600 schools. This was employment not only for 600 small contractors but also for the people that were employed to do the job.

Ladies and Gentlemen, when we see functional and efficient public assets in other parts of the world there is no secret to it. It is evidence of a maintenance economy led by government.

Our federal maintenance initiative has assessed schools, courts, hospitals, correctional facilities and police buildings and is getting ready to commence work on them. I commend the same to you in your states if you want to create sustainable jobs.

Thank you for listening.

Babatunde Raji Fashola SAN
Honourable Minister of Works and Housing