Jubilation, commendations as President Buhari Commissions Nnewe - Oduma Road * Urges road users against abuse * Nigerians to expect more delivery of projects in a season of completion and impact - Fashola Jubilation, commendations and gratitude rent the air as President Muhammadu Buhari commissioned the Nnewe - Oduma - Uburu road covering 26.27 kilometres with 14 kilometres spur to Ishiagu connecting  Enugu and Ebonyi states, today 2nd December, 2021. The President who was represented by the  Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu made a passionate appeal to road users to desist from acts such as overloading of vehicles and trucks, spilling of petroleum products on the roads and conversion of road shoulders to Permanent parking places which could damage the road. "We must all do our best to avoid these practices, report them when they occur and act in a lawful manner to stop them", he said. Buhari who again emphasized his administration's commitment to Infrastructural development gave the assurance that Nigerians will be witnessing more completion and delivery of projects. The Enugu state Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi who was represented by the State’s Commissioner for Works and infrastructure, Sir Greg Nnagi described road contruction as the cradle of civilisation. He noted that the underlying benefits of road construction is that it opens up the door of economic advantage and boost the economy of the people. The Governor expressed gratitude to President Muhammadu Buhari and Works and Housing Minister, Mr Babatunde Fashola SAN for bringing the project to conclusion. He said, " This road will take its pride of place as one of the most critical infrastructure implemented by the Federal Government". Fashola, in an address read on his behalf by the Director Highways, South  Zone, Engr. Bola Aganaba, noted that the road being handed over was a continuation of the good tidings being delivered across the country. “I am happy to reiterate that this is the third of many more project Completion and Handovers our country will experience in the next few weeks and months as we enter what l call a season of completion and impact,” he said. expressed appreciation for the SUKUK funding which is currently aiding the progress of work on 44 roads across the nation. Fashola said, "The SUKUK is currently contributing to Progress of work on 44 roads across Nigeria and as we complete them, events like this will hold." He commended all the stakeholders both in the private and public sectors who contributed to the actualization of the project. His Royal Highness Igwe Patrick  Oshiekwe the Ohazulume I of Ukete - Oduma, Aninri Local  Government Area of Enugu State, expressed happiness and commended the President  for the project. Road users in the area who were obviously filled with  joy  expressed their gratitude to Mr President . Mr. Patrick  Ekwe said, "The project is helping us very well. It was very hard for us to travel to anywhere but today it is very easy, if you want to go to Lagos from here, you will leave today and come back tomorrow.  Before it took us a whole day to go to Enugu but now you can go and come back within 2 hours.” Kingsley  Nicholas said, " God will continue to bless President Muhammadu Buhari, the God that put the project into his mind and for his willingness to help the people of Oduma, may the good God continue to bless him.” For Princess Nkem Ngirim the project will help the people to take their goods to the market and boost their economy. She said, " We thank our able President Muhammadu Buhari for remembering us, giving us access road to other places." She added that a journey that used to take them about 5 hours can now be covered within 30 minutes. It could be recalled that the 304 kilometre Sokoto - Tambuwal -Jega -Kontagora - Makera road in Sokoto and Kebbi States and the Vandeikya -Obudu Cattle Ranch road in Benue and Cross River states were recently commissioned on November 25th and 29th 2021 respectively. ...

Season Of Completion, Impact Continues As Buhari Commissions Vandeikya-Obudu Cattle Ranch Road        ·   “The road is a story of the capacity of patriotic Nigerians. They are not only nation builders but also the heart of our economy”, President says      · Stresses the need for safety, compliance to traffic regulations on the part of commuters to reduce hazards as more of the nation’s roads are being made motorable        ·   “We want you alive to witness and be part of the prosperity and promise of Nigeria”, the President tells Nigerians       · These projects represent major investment in road Transport infrastructure, a commitment of the Buhari administration as a driver for economic growth and prosperity - Fashola Barely a week after commissioning the 304 kilometre Sokoto-Tambuwal-Jega-Kontagora-Makera Road, President Muhammadu Buhari Tuesday continued the “season of completion and impact” with the official flag-off of the Vandeikya-Obudu Cattle Ranch Road (Phases I and II) in Benue State. President Buhari, who was represented at the occasion by the Minister of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs, Senator George Akume, said the roads being turned out by his administration represented the story of the capacity of Nigerians, employed both directly and indirectly, as not only nation builders but also the heart of the economy, as represented by the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, which he described as “drivers of our economy”, who were responsible for the supply of the various materials and equipment for the construction of the roads. Also describing the roads as “a statement of economic efficiency and ease of doing business”, Buhari explained that by substantially reducing the travel times of commuters on the completed ones the roads also form part of the prosperity being created for the country by his administration adding, “because reduced journey times means reduced expense on travel, because time is money”. The President pointed out that Vandeikya-Obudu Cattle Ranch Road, like all other roads being built by his administration, also symbolized change as it included such road furniture as the lane markings and Route Assurance signs which, he observed, “had all but disappeared on our highways”, adding that his administration’s commitment to change has restored them. Explaining that the lane markings would help drivers to achieve better lane management and control of their vehicles; while the Route Assurance Signs provide information about how much further or longer, the drivers and commuters have to travel and the distance to the next village, town or state, the President declared, “For your safety and that of other road users, I implore you not to exceed 100 KM.  We want you alive to witness and be part of the prosperity and promise of Nigeria. I wish you safe and happy motoring”. He also stressed the need for safety and compliance to traffic regulations as more of the nation’s roads were being made motorable and travel experiences more pleasurable, adding that safety consciousness on the part of motorists would reduce hazards on the roads to the barest minimum. The President, who also called for strict compliance to the nation’s Highway Code in order for the road and others being built across the country to attain their design life, said the better travel experience being enjoyed by commuters on the current new and well-built roads, as against the old and previously unmotorable roads, represented one of the critical elements of change promised Nigerians by the present administration. Still emphasizing his concern for the safety of commuters on the roads, Buhari declared, “Now that we have these new and well-built roads, we have duties to ourselves and to other road users. One of those duties is to ensure that we drive in accordance with the law as stipulated in the Highway Code”, adding that the “maximum driving speed on this and other Federal Highways nationwide is 100 (hundred) KM and no more”. He also cautioned against abuse of the roads saying as the Federal Government committed to delivering on its promise to give Nigerians good and quality road network, it was incumbent on the people not to abuse the roads in order to enable them service the nation through their design life. Such abuses, the President said, include overloading of vehicles and trucks which, according to him, accelerates pavement damage, spilling of petroleum products which dissolves the road components and allows water to penetrate and converting the road shoulders to permanent parking places, which brings the onset of road failure from the shoulder. “We must all do our best to avoid these practices, report them when they occur and act in a lawful manner to stop them”, the President said adding that the commissioned road, which links Benue and Cross River State, “has been built to the highest quality of design and workmanship and if well used and not abused, should last for the designed service life”. In his remarks earlier, the Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, SAN, while commending all those who contributed to the realization of the “Season of Completion and Impact”, especially the investors in the first and second SUKUK and other agencies of government, added that the Vandeikya-Obudu Cattle Ranch Road represented the second of many more project Completion and Handovers Nigerians would experience in the next few weeks and months.   Fashola, who was represented by the Director Highways, North Central Zone, Engr. Rugba Emenoge, listed other such roads to include the 142.2 x 2 (dual) Kilometre Kano- Maiduguri Road (Section II) between Shuwarin and Azare, connecting Jigawa and Bauchi States, the 106.3 x 2 Kilometre Kano-Maiduguri Road (Section III)  between Azare and Potiskum, connecting Bauchi and Yobe States and Nnewe- Uduma- Uburu Road covering 26.27 Kilometers with 14 Kilometers spur to Ishiagu connecting Enugu and Ebonyi States, in Ebonyi State. Expressing delight at the commissioning of the Vandeikya-Obudu Cattle Ranch Road, the Minister declared, “These projects represent major investment in road Transport infrastructure, which is a commitment of the Buhari administration as a driver for economic growth and prosperity. They are visible and incontrovertible Assets in proof of what Nigeria’s resources are invested in, from a combination of our earned resources, and borrowings”. The Minister, who noted that the SUKUK was currently contributing to progress of work on 44 roads across Nigeria, aside the impact of the funding in the completion of major road projects such as the Azare – Potiskum, Shuwarin – Potiskum and Sokoto-Tambuwal- Kontagora Roads, also thanked the Ministry of Finance, and the members of the National Assembly, “especially the Chairmen of the Senate and House Committees on Works in the 8th and 9th Assembly for their support as well as the Debt Management Office for their role in previous SUKUKs which, according to him, have been most innovative and impactful nationwide, and for the SUKUK still being expected. Fashola also thanked the Ministry’s staff and contractors who, he acknowledged, “have worked very hard to bring these projects to conclusion” as well as the host communities for their cooperation without which progress would have been impossible. “I hold them out as examples of what peace can achieve, and the investments that collaboration and some sacrifice can deliver if we embrace partnership with Government”, he said.   The Minister’s gratitude also went to the Federal Executive Council, which included all Ministers in the first term and the current term, for their support, the President and Vice President “who presided for long hours over the Council meetings” and the Governors of Bauchi, Jigawa, Benue, Cross Rivers, Sokoto, Kebbi, Niger, Enugu and Ebonyi, who, according to him “bear witness to fruits and the evidence of change by the Buhari administration. “And there is more to come”, he said. Members of the Vandeikya community, including traditional rulers, who turned out in large numbers, expressed their gratitude to the Federal Government, President Buhari and the Minister of Works and Housing for starting the project and seeing it to completion.     ...

Host Communities Commend FG as Buhari Commissions Sokoto-Tambuwal-Kontagora-Makera Road· President calls for compliance to the nation’s transport regulations, Highway Code to enable roads last their design life· “This is the first of many more project Completion and Handovers our country will experience in this season of completion and impact”, says Fashola· Political leaders, Traditional Rulers, Commuters praise FG, Fashola for commitment to infrastructure development, testify to ease of doing business· “We are overwhelmed that despite numerous challenges, this administration has delivered on most of its mandates”, Emir of Yauri. Host communities along the Sokoto-Tambuwal-Jega-Kontagora-Makera Road corridor, Thursday, hailed the Federal Government as President Muhammadu Buhari formally commissioned and opened the road for use calling on commuters to always comply with the nation’s Highway Code in order for the road and others being built across the country to attain their design life. And the Minister of Works and Housing, while corroborating the President’s call, the 304 kilometre road represented the first of many more project Completion and Handovers Nigerians would experience in the next few weeks and months as the nation enters what he described as “a season of completion and impact”. The President, who was represented by the Attorney- General and Minister of Justice of the Federation, Mr. Abubakar Malami, SAN, said as the Federal Government commit to delivering on its promise to give Nigerians good and quality road network, it was incumbent on the people not to abuse the roads in order to enable them service the nation through their design life. The President, who listed such abuses to include overloading of vehicles and trucks, spilling of petroleum products and converting the road shoulders to permanent parking places, explained that while overloading accelerates pavement damage, spilling of petroleum products dissolves the road components and allows water to penetrate. Converting the road shoulders to permanent parking places, he said, brings the onset of road failure from the shoulder. “We must all do our best to avoid these practices, report them when they occur and act in a lawful manner to stop them”, the President said adding that the commissioned road, which links Sokoto and Kebbi State, “has been built to the highest quality of design and workmanship and if well used and not abused, should last for the designed service life”. Saluting all Nigerians who contributed in the construction of the road, President Buhari declared, “This road is a story of the capacity of our people, the patriotic Nigerians who were employed directly to build this road, the scores of suppliers employed indirectly who are responsible for providing the machines utilized in the construction” describing them as “not only nation builders to whom we offer our salutations, they are the heart of the Nigerian economy, the micro, small and medium enterprises that drive our economic growth”. “This road is also a statement of economic efficiency and ease of doing business. This is because the travel time of averagely four hours before construction has now reduced to two hours since the completion of the road”, he said noting that the road also forms part of the many roads to prosperity being constructed across the country “because reduced journey times means reduced expense on travel, because time is money”. According to the President, the road also symbolizes change as it includes such road furniture as the lane markings and Route Assurance signs which, he observed, “had all but disappeared on our highways”, adding his administration’s commitment to change has restored them, “with the markings helping drivers to achieve better lane management and control of their vehicles; while the Route Assurance signs provide information about how much further or longer, the drivers and commuters have to travel and the distance to the next village, town or state”. Citing travel experience on new and well-built roads as another element of change from the old and previously unmotorable roads, Buhari declared, “Now that we have this new and well-built road, we have duties to ourselves and to other road users. One of those duties is to ensure that we drive in accordance with the law as stipulated in the Highway Code”, adding that the “maximum driving speed on this and other Federal Highways nationwide is100 (ONE HUNDRED) KM and no more”. Formally declaring the road open to traffic, President Buhari reiterated, “For your safety and that of other road users, I implore you not to exceed 100 KM.  We want you alive to witness and be part of the prosperity and promise of Nigeria. I wish you safe and happy motoring”. In his remarks earlier, Fashola listed other roads that would soon be commissioned across the country to include Section II covering 142.2 x 2 (dual) Kilometers between Shuwarin and Azare, connecting Jigawa and Bauchi States, Section III covering 106.3 x 2 Kilometers between Azare and Potiskum , connecting Bauchi and Yobe States, Vandeikya-Obudu Cattle Ranch Road covering 24 Kilometres connecting Benue and Cross River States and Nnewe- Uduma- Uburu Road covering 26.27 Kilometers with 14 Kilometers spur to Ishiagu connecting Enugu and Ebonyi States.  The Minister, who said the President had approved that Ministers from the various States where projects have been completed should represent him to perform the handover formalities, added, “These projects represent major investment in road Transport infrastructure, which is a commitment of the Buhari administration as a driver for economic growth and prosperity. They are visible and incontrovertible Assets in proof of what Nigeria’s resources are invested in, from a combination of our earned resources, and borrowings”. “This occasion affords another opportunity to acknowledge the impact of the SUKUK funding in the completion of Azare – Potiskum, Shuwarin – Potiskum and Sokoto-Tambuwal- Kontagora Roads”, the Minister said adding that the SUKUK was currently contributing to progress of work on 44 roads across Nigeria “and as we complete them, events like this will hold”. He expressed gratitude to the investors in the SUKUK and thanked the Ministry of Finance, and the members of the National Assembly, “especially the Chairmen of the Senate and House Committees on Works in the 8th and 9th Assembly for their support as well as the Debt Management Office for their role in previous SUKUKS which, according to him, have been most innovative and impactful nationwide, and for the SUKUK still being expected. Fashola also thanked the Ministry’s staff and contractors “who have worked very hard to bring these projects to conclusion” as well as the host communities for their cooperation without which progress would have been impossible. “I hold them out as examples of what peace can achieve, and the investments that collaboration and some sacrifice can deliver if we embrace partnership with Government”, he said. Others to whom the Minister expressed gratitude included the Federal Executive Council, which included all Ministers in the first term and the current term, for their support, the President and Vice President “who preside for long hours over the Council meetings” and the Governors of Bauchi, Jigawa, Benue, Cross Rivers, Sokoto, Kebbi, Niger, Enugu and Ebonyi, who, according to him “bear witness to fruits and the evidence of change by the Buhari administration. “And there is more to come”, he said. Commending the Federal Government also, the Senator representing Kebbi Central Senator District and Chairman, Senate Committee on Works, Senator Adamu Aliero said that since the construction of the road in 1973, it has not undergone any major repair to the extent that it became a death tap. “Because of the very bad nature of the road then, about 40 people lost their lives on the road. But thank God that today, the story has changed completely,” he said. He hailed the Federal Government for the other projects being embarked upon in the state and implored them to maintain the projects saying, “ To whom much is given, much is expected and we expect the good people of Kebbi State to support  our great Party, the APC and the government of President Muhammadu Buhari and demonstrate their support in the next election.” In a similar vein, Honourable Muhammed Shehu Koko, a House of Representative member representing the area commended President Muhammadu Buhari saying that the people of Koko and the entire Kebbi State are very impressed and happy for the road project. He said, “Honourable Minister, as you are aware, Kebbi people are mainly farmers and they have started enjoying the road in moving their farm produces from their farms to the market with ease.” The Emir of Yauri, His Royal Highness, Dr. Muhammad Zayyanu Abdullahi in his own remarks said the rehabilitation of the road was very crucial to the socio-economic development of the people and the neighbouring ECOWAS States.  He acknowledged with gratitude the efforts of the present Government for initiating and completing the rehabilitation works on the road which, according to him, was constructed in the 70s and never received any major rehabilitation work until the tenure of President Buhari’s administration. “We are overwhelmed that despite numerous competing demands and other global challenges, this administration is able to deliver on most of its mandates and would forever be remembered for fixing our economy”, the Traditional Ruler said. Others who commended the government included the core road users such as the motorists and motorcyclists who said their businesses have been enhanced by the new road. ...