The Minister of Works, David Umahi, stated that reforms under the current administration, including the naira floatation and fuel subsidy removal, have increased the N13 trillion road projects inherited by the Bola Tinubu administration to approximately N20 trillion.
Speaking during a meeting with a delegation from the Anambra and Enugu caucus of the 10th National Assembly, Umahi assured the South-east people of President Tinubu’s commitment to transforming road infrastructure in the region and across the country.
The lawmakers visited Umahi’s office to request federal government intervention in completing the construction of the Enugu-Onitsha expressway, which is being handled by RCC Ltd and funded by MTN through the road infrastructure development and refurbishment investment tax credit scheme.
Umahi expressed his sympathy for the lives lost on the unfinished sections of the expressway, particularly in light of the recent tanker explosion on the Ugwu-Onyema axis, which claimed numerous lives.
He said, “Again, we should also be grateful to Mr. President. Since he became president, we’ve not heard about farmers and herders clashes in the South-east. Mr. President inherited 2,064 projects, totalling about N13 trillion, and today, those projects will be over N20 trillion by reason of the floating of the naira and the removal of fuel subsidy.
“It’s nobody’s fault. But by his good heart and commitment to rewriting the story of this country, he will make Nigeria great again.”
At the meeting, a statement from Umahi’s spokesman, Uchenna Orji, revealed that it was agreed, among other resolutions, that the Federal Ministry of Works would write to MTN, demanding that the company commit to paying contractors on the Enugu-Onitsha expressway project a minimum of N15 billion every month for the next 10 months.
According to the statement, this arrangement is intended to allow the contractor to accelerate the completion of the Enugu-Onitsha Expressway.
If MTN fails to meet this commitment, the ministry will initiate the process to terminate the project.
The statement further outlined that MTN would require three contractors to complete the 79 kilometers within the original contract sum of N202 billion. Additionally, the remaining 72 kilometers of the road will be awarded to other contractors through the proper process.
“It was noted in the meeting that the delay on the job which was due to poor funding and poor contract execution has resulted to over 100 per cent increase of the project cost, and to allow MTN more than 11 months on the job could further push the contract to increase by over 200 per cent and this is unacceptable to the federal government,” the ministry added.