Again, Madueke Seeks N585b To Fix Roads - As Senate Threatens To Sue Contractors

Taiwo Adisa, Abuja, with Agency Reports - 05.07.2008

THE Ministry of Transportation says it requires about N585 billion to overhaul the nation’s road network in the next eight years. The minister, Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke, gave the estimate on Friday in Abuja in a presentation, titled, “Transportation Infrastructure and Services-Investment Opportunities in Nigeria.”

Alison-Madueke, who spoke at an interactive forum with Banks’ Chief Executives, said there was the need to partner with the private sector, due to the huge resources required for the roads.

“To bring these national networks into good and motorable condition, the country requires between four and five billion dollars investment over the next five to eight years,” she said.

Represented by the Permanent Secretary, Amuna Ali, the minister said this would assist in evolving sound policies that would clear the path to optimal socio-economic development.

According to her, the poor access to infrastructure and its high cost, particularly power and transport, are some of the severe constraints facing the economy.

Meanwhile, the Senate ad hoc Committee on Transports, on Friday, threatened to recommend Federal Government’s contractors who failed to execute road contracts awarded to them for prosecution.

Chairman of the ad hoc committee, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, said on Friday that the Committee would not hesitate to recommend some of the contractors for criminal prosecution for allegedly failing to execute contracts after they had collected money.

The Senator said: “Some of you (contractors) will go to jail at the end of our investigation because we are not here to play. We will go on inspection. At the end of the day, we will write our report and some of you will go to jail.”

The threat came when officials of the Ministry of Transportation told the committee that some contractors had abandoned projects after collecting money.

The Committee was told that the Gombe-Biu road that should link Gombe State to Borno State had been abandoned as the contractor had failed to respect the contractual agreement.

But there was disagreement between officials of the ministry and some contractors at the hearing. While the Director of Federal Highways (Construction and Rehabilitation), Alhaji Suleiman Danladi, who also appeared before the Committee, said that the Ministry of Transportation had paid the contractor, paid Messrs SINOCON, the sum of N600 million as mobilization, the Managing Director, Mr. Austin Owudu Ochei, disagreed insisting that the company collected only N316 million.

The Director of Highways also disclosed that only 20 per cent of the work had been done, but Ochei said that 52 per cent of the contract had been completed.