Senators on Friday “clashed” over zonal distribution of road projects in the 2022 budget.
The Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, had appeared before the Senate Committee on Works to defend his ministry fiscal estimates of N450 billion.
Fashola told the lawmakers that N350 billion was earmarked for the construction of roads across the country.
Trouble started when Senator George Sekibo (PDP, Rivers) raised an observation that 1,400km of roads were proposed to be constructed in a single geopolitical zone in the North while only 89.9km of roads in the South-South.
“When you are doing a zonal intervention, it is good to intervene appropriately so that every person will be happy,” the lawmaker told Fashola.
Chairman of the committee, Adamu Aliero, interjected and urged Sekibo to be mindful of the cost of the projects in each of the geopolitical zones.
“If there is N600bn to be spread among each geopolitical zone and you intend to give N100bn to each zone because of justice and equity, N100bn can construct about 200 km of roads in the North-East but it cannot construct more than 30km of roads in the South-South region because of the terrain,” Aliero said.
However, Sekibo interjected and questioned the chairman for responding on behalf of the minister.
“Are you answering for him?” he asked Aliero, who responded thus: “I am just telling you what I think is a common knowledge which I believe you know them very well.”
Another member of the committee, Danladi Sankara (APC, Jigawa), said every part of the country is complaining of roads and that it would be impossible to award projects everywhere because Nigeria is very large.
Sekibo interjected again, telling his colleagues that, “Distinguished colleagues, I asked a question and I expect that you will allow the minister to answer. Please if you don’t want me to be part of the meeting, I will get up and walk out.”
However, Aliero said the Chairmen of both the Senate and House of Representatives Committees on Works were working seriously with the leadership of the National Assembly to see what could be done in the road sector.
Responding to the lawmakers, the minister urged Sekibo to be mindful that states in the south-south zone are in the rainforest of Nigeria, making construction work there difficult.
On zonal disparity of road projects, the Fashola said road projects, irrespective of where they are situated, were for the benefit of all Nigerians.
He said, “Rather than sectionalising or regionalising projects, we should see them as national projects because you are national officers as senators.
“I think you should begin to talk more about the integration of our country. I don’t know what answers Senator Sekibo wants, but you can go away with this, your people will see that you have made a very compelling case for them.”
Still not satisfied with the explanation, Senator Sekibo walked out of the panel.
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