The Nigerian government says it has chosen the development of infrastructure as an anchor in achieving its economic growth more quickly. The Minister of Works and Housing, Mr BabatundeFashola stated this after the conclusion of a two-day inspection tour of on-going highway projects in Niger State. He said President MuhammaduBuhari was making the economy the front and centre of his administration’s Next Level agenda.
Mr Fashola stated that the passing of the 2020 Budget in the first week of January was a clear indication of that decision.
“The President has been very clear in his commitment to building infrastructure…From the first day of the year, we already have a budget in place. That hasn’t happened for a long time. So the economy forms the centre issue for the President and his team,” the Minister told hundreds of residents of Mokwa Community who trooped out to welcome him at the site.
Underscoring the readiness of the government to pursue the goal, MrFashola advocated the cooperation of the communities hosting infrastructure projects across the country.
He stressed that nothing would be achieved without the cooperation of the communities on peace and readiness to cede portions of their lands through which road projects must pass.
The Minister noted that the present dry season, which is expected to last for the next five to six months, was the best time to work and make progress on the road projects.
He told the community members, “this is dry weather when we can do a lot of work if the communities cooperate with us. Although the President has directed that states hosting Federal road projects should handle all compensation issues, the Government could always come back and deal with such issues. But we will lose the dry weather if we don’t get that cooperation quickly.”
Mr Fashola expressed his displeasure at the illegal parking of trucks on the nation’s highways, saying that the dumping of fuel and diesel on ongoing road projects was responsible for the premature deterioration of the roads.
“And the uninformed will say the roads are not well built. But the roads are well built; Because of the petroleum products dumped on them, the asphalt loses their binding capacity. The chemicals and asphalt do not mix,” he said.
The Minister declared that the National Association of Road Transport Owners, Drivers Associations and Petroleum Tanker Drivers should direct their members to leave the highways alone.
He said, however, that as much as the government would apply sanctions on defaulters, it would prefer voluntary compliance from the drivers.
