Tinubu grapples with N974b uncompleted road projects in 2023 budget
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Bola Tinubu is grappling with 38 uncompleted road projects worth N979 billion inherited from Muhammadu Buhari, as listed in the 2023 budget and confirmed by the National Monitoring and Evaluation Platform (EYEMARK) Buhari launched in December 2022.
Despite assurances from the former President to complete the projects before the end of his tenure, he left several road networks half-done due to low revenue and other challenges.
The projects include
- Expansion of Abuja-Keffi dual carriageway
- Dualisation of Keffi-Akwanga-Lafia-Makurdi Road in Nasarawa.
- Benue State Phase 1, Lafia bypass
- 9th mile Enugu-Otukpo-Makurdi Road
- Benue State Phase II which reportedly costs N32.5 billion.
- Rehabilitation of Ikorodu-Shagamu Road including the access road to Mosimi in Lagos (N100 million)
- Full scope development of Federal Capital Terriory Highway 105 (Kuje Road) from Airport Expressway to outer Southern Expressway with Spur at Kyami District (N54.95 billion)
- Dualisation of Akure-Ado Ekiti Road (N90 billion)
- Dualisation of Obajana Junction to Benin phase 2
- Section 11 Okene-Auchi Road (N5 billion)
- Construction of Bichi township roads (N1.40 billion)
- Dawakin Tofa-Gwarzo-Dayi Road (N2 billion)
- 5.4km Abuja-Keffi Expressway
- 220km Keffi-Akwanga-Lafia-Makurdi federal roads (N166.36 billion)
- Keffi-Akwanga-Lafia Road (N101.1billion)
- Chanchangi Bridge on Takum-Wukari Road (N100 million)
- Dualisation of Jattu-Fugar-Agenebode Road
- Reconstruction of Irekpa-Fugar-Agenebode Road (N250 million)
- Reconstruction of the 126.6 Lagos-Ibadan Expressway (N315 billion)
- Construction of the Bidda-Sacci-Nupeko Road (N400 million)
- Construction of Nupeko/Patigi Bridge on the River Niger linking Nupeko and Patigi
Adedamola Kuti, Director of Highways (South West), gave an assurance that all the outstanding projects will be completed.
“The way things are done in the federal civil service is quite different,” he explained.
“You would agree that the previous government inherited uncompleted road projects and they completed some of them even as they initiated new ones.
“So if the new administration has taken over the uncompleted tasks, we will ensure that those projects are completed. We are working hard and no project will be abandoned.”
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Local contractors owed N11tr
Investigation by The PUNCH shows N25 billion has been earmarked to pay off local contractors this year, as contained in the 2023 budget.
However, the figure is far short of the N11 trillion owed local contractors by successive administrations.
Contractors who have completed highways and other infrastructural projects across the country and issued certificates of completion have protested the failure of the authorities to pay them for contracts executed up to 12 years ago.
Local Contractors Association of Nigeria President Dandy Rowland disclosed in 2022 the government owed members of the association N28 billion.
Also, former Works and Housing Minister Babatunde Fashola acknowledged at the ministry’s 2023 budget defence at the National Assembly (NASS) last year that a total N765 billion unpaid completion certificates were still being owed.
He said the government is committed to ongoing highway contracts worth N10.4 trillion
However, a source in the ministry said: “We are still harmonising our figures with those of the Finance Ministry. No payment has been made yet and there is no time frame when it [harmonisation] will be completed.”
The freeze on the financial transactions of ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) by the Tinubu administration has not stopped payment to contractors involved in ongoing road projects.
A sourced clarified that “the recent ban on MDAs accounts has delayed all recurrent expenditure in the ministry, even our duty tour allowance has not been paid.
“TSA [Treasury Single Account] is currently compromised and that is why all payments have been stopped. The ministry can only process emergency payments like paying for a portrait picture of the new President.
“However, contractors are still being paid because their budget is under capital vote and is under the federal government. All our contractors are still getting paid without hindrance because if it’s stopped, developments will cease in the country.”
