New strategies are being adopted for federal roads ahead of raining season – Fashola

The Minister for Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola SAN has disclosed that his Ministry is working in partnership with contractors and States’ government on a new strategy to check bad spots on federal roads during the raining season.

The Minister who was on inspection tour of federal roads and Housing projects in Cross River State noted that ahead of the raining season, contractors have been advised to make better preparations by addressing the trouble spots that are often worst affected under the rains.

“The strategy is that all of those roads where trucks get stocked; while the construction is ongoing now, those bad spots which work may not get there before the rains, should be made motorable during the rains.”

“We know that the rains will come and we are preparing for it. Working with the contractors is one side of the coin: In Cross River State, I had a long meeting with the deputy governor and what applies to Cross River State will apply to others. The expectation is that all the states with roads where heavy trucks ply should make provision to clear any truck that gets stock before it cause traffic jam”.

He continued, “the idea is that State government should work with owners of towing trucks and station two to four of the towing vehicles strategically across length of the road. If we take Odukpani to Itu Bridge for instance and we have the towing vehicles at both ends, any vehicle that breaks down along the way will be cleared. On the flip side of it, while the government is working out strategies on the roads for the raining season, vehicle owners should also prepare for the raining season by ensuring that their vehicles are in good condition”.

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The Minister who inspected Itu to Odukpani to Calabar and Alesi-Ugep and Akpet roads expressed satisfaction with the ongoing work on-site and particularly noted that a local contractor was handling the job and has proven that the decision of the President to encourage and support local contractors was right.

He charged the contractors handling various road projects to always be conscious of other public infrastructure along the route such as the telecommunication cables and electricity. “Nigerians want all of those basic infrastructures. We can’t provide one and destroy the other.”

Responding to the request of the Managing Director of Sematechi, Isioma Eziashi, the local contractor on the job, concerning the slow pace of funding, the minister hinted the funds will be coming more regularly as soon as ongoing plans were concluded to ensure that in the next set of the beneficiary to the Sukuk funds, roads in Cross River and Akwa Ibom state will be included.

The Federal Controller of Works in Cross River State Engr. Bassey Nsentip who took the minister to inspect ongoing projects in the state explained that 67km along Alesi-Ugep to Akpet has been completed by 90% and that within the construction period, over 176 Nigerians were engaged. He a breakdown of the work done and readiness for the recently awarded job which is from Akpet to Odukpani junction