Date: 2016-09-04

The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, has urged state governments to cooperate with the Federal Controller of Works in their states in order to ensure smooth road rehabilitation and construction.

He said that the Federal Government was committed to making roads in the country motorable as part of efforts in meeting the expectations of Nigerians. The minister spoke in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, during a courtesy call on the Governor of the state, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed, before his inspection of the ongoing Ilorin-Jebba-Mokwa road.

Fashola said, "At least six federal roads including Ilorin-Jebba-Mokwa road, Offa bypass, Ajasse-Ipo, Offa-Erin-Ile road, Kishi-Kaiama roads are at different stages of construction, while Afon-Aboto road that connects Kwara to Oyo State, Ilori-Omu-Aran-Egbe in Kogi State, Share-Patigi road, Patigi Egon road as well as Ohan and Moro bridges are captured in the 2016 federal budget for construction."

The Business Manager, CGC Nigeria Limited, Mr. Tian Jiru, said his company, the construction company handling the Ilorin-Jebba-Mokwa road project, had rehabilitated about 35km of the road. He put that the total length of the road to be reconstructed at 93.6km with a contract sum of N14.5bn.

Ahmed commended the Federal Government for its intervention in the reconstruction of some federal roads across the state and described the initiative as the first in the last 16 years in the state. He noted that poor maintenance of roads in the past had created the poor state of many federal roads in the state and other parts of the country.

According to the governor, the continued support in creating new roads and maintaining old ones is necessary for economic development, especially now that there is a national focus on non-oil sector for the diversification of the national economy. He said, "The state government has focused more on the road sector in the state in order to open up more feeder roads to boost commercial agriculture in the state."