Engage federal workers on the state of Nigerian highways – Engr Aliyu
The Minister of State for Works and Housing Engr. Abubakar D. Aliyu has charged Nigerians to engage his Ministry on the state of the highways in the country with a view to improve their condition for ease of movement. Engr. Aliyu also enjoined the public to seek necessary information and clarification from his Ministry in order to be properly guided on infrastructure put in place by government to make life more meaningful for the citizens.
He made the remark last week in Abuja while hosting the Niger Delta Activist Forum who paid him a courtesy visit in the Ministry.
The Minister noted that the President Muhammudu Buhari led government is serious, responsive and listens to the yearnings of Nigerians and has shown commitment in providing the necessary infrastructure by beefing the budget on roads from 16billion in 2015 to over N300 billion in the 2020 budget. He told the Niger Delta Activist Group that, there was no opportunity in the past for people to interact with decision makers in the Works and Housing sectors.
He said the Executive Order No. 5 signed into law by Mr. President is mostly about the local content and it is being observed at the Federal Executive Council in the award of contracts.
He disclosed that roads that had reached 80% completion would be given priority for completion in 2020, adding that on-going roads and projects would not be abandoned. He enjoined the pubic to keep engaging the controllers and directors in the Ministry on the state of the highways in the country.
On the request made by the activists on the reconstruction of Calabar-Odukpani-Itu road, Engr. Aliyu stated that the Federal Government was taking necessary action to fix the bad portions of that road.
Earlier the President of Niger Delta Activist forum, Comrade Success Jack, said that his associations mission is to draw Federal Government attention to the bad state of the Calabar –Odukpani –Itu road with a view to fixing it in order to reduce the plight of commuters.
Comrade Jack also spoke on the need to fix other bad roads in the Niger Delta