Deputy Minority Leader, House of Representatives, Toby Okechukwu, has urged the federal government to provide adequate funds for road construction and rehabilitation.
He made the call in Abuja Sunday while speaking on the National Roads Fund Bill and Federal Roads Bill he sponsored which were recently passed by the National Assembly.
He the suspension of new road contract awards suggested by the Minister of Works, Babatunde Raji Fashola, would only give the government a short-term respite.
He said: “Our problem is revenue, not the number of roads. People have to get to their destinations or homes. So, we’ve to build roads.
“If you say stop awarding road contracts as proposed by the minister, I agree, but you’ll still need over N7.4trn to finish already existing contracts.
“So, even if you stop awarding contracts, you still cannot finish the roads or paying your debts relaying on N200bn per annum budgetary allocation. You can’t finish it in 20 years.
“As a ministry that has over N7trn contractual commitments, but gets N200bn annually with an outstanding liability of about N420bn, then you need some extra help.
“So, the National Roads Fund will deal with the sustainable funding of the roads because the annual budgetary interventions are inadequate. It’ll serve as a repository of funds you can charge from road users, including tolling, weighing bridges.”
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