The federal government said it has, so far, disbursed N300 billion to road infrastructure compared to N18 billion, which the previous administration spent.
Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Raji Fashola, who made the disclosure at the 4th Quadrennial Delegates Conference of Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) in Abuja, said it is one thing to have a plan, it is another thing to commit to the faithful implementation of that plan.
“Let me remind you that the budget I inherited from the Ministry of Works in the last administration was N18 billion for all the roads in Nigeria."
Only N9 billion was paid out of the budget, but the last budget in the state that I left for road was about N74 billion for one state, while the whole country budgeted N18 billion during the time of Transformation Agenda."
The minister noted that there was no state in the country where road construction or rehabilitation is not currently ongoing, adding that 300 roads across the country were under construction.
The minister also said that the government was according priority to roads connecting agricultural development areas, those leading to ports and depots, roads inside higher institutions and comprehensive maintenance of bridges.
Similarly, the Group Managing Director, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Dr Maikanti Baru, acknowledged the role of tanker drivers in resolving the challenges of distribution of products during periods of fuel scarcity.
He said that with the help of the association, NNPC was able to apprehend those involved in fuel diversion and smuggling and pledged NNPC’s continuous dialogue and collaboration with the association, to ensure smooth distribution of fuel products in the country.
