FG approves additional N260bn for repair of flooded East-West Road

The recent flood disaster that ravaged parts of the country and affected some highways received the attention of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) as it approved N400 billion for the repairs of some sections of the East-West road as well as five other federal roads in Lagos, Yobe, Kano, Yobe and Jigawa states.

FEC at its weekly meeting on Wednesday presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo at the State House, Abuja, approved the variation in the sum of the contract for East-West road project sections one to four from Warri to Port Harcourt, Eket, Oron, by N260 billion, bringing the total amount required for it to be completed to N506 billion.

The initial cost for the sections was about N246 billion.

The council approved another N140 billion worth of contracts for the rehabilitation, construction, and reconstruction of some other roads in different parts of the country.

Briefing newsmen on the issue after the FEC meeting, the media assistant to the Vice President, Laolu Akande, said the variation followed a memorandum presented to the council by the Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, as part of efforts to provide succor and resolve issues around the recent floods.

Mr Akande said that the Minister for Works and Housing presented a memo in line with the federal government’s continued engagement in bringing succor and resolving issues around the recent flooding.

He said: “He got approval for the variation order in respect of repair works on the East-West road project affected during the recent flooding occurrences in the Niger Delta.

“So, the approval was for a variation order for the East-West road project sections 1-4 from Warri to Port Harcourt, Eket, Oron, including Oron-Eket bypass in the sum of N260 billion, thereby increasing the total contract sum for the outstanding sections 1-4 of the East West road projects from N246 billion to N506 billion. The memo was approved.”

Recall the former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, had said since his inception in office, he has been able to scale up completion of the east-west road construction from 8 per cent to 80 per cent.

According to Akpabio, the 80 per cent completion of the road, covers sections i – iv, noting that the Ministry awaits the payment of N10.4 billion, which he said will be handled by the Ministry of Works and Housing.

“The Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs took over the construction of the east-west roads in 2009 from the then Ministry of Works at about 8 per cent. The road was awarded in 2006 by the then President, Olusegun Obasanjo. The road is about 338 kilometers in length and starts from Effurun in Warri and ends up in Oron, Akwa Ibom state.

In February 2022 the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio secured the sum of N10.4 billion from the 2021 Sovereign SUKUK Issuance for the completion of the dualization of the East West highway project.

According to him, “let me acknowledge the support and effort of the Hon Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, for the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs and the people of the region.

“The Eleme Junction to Onne, a 15-kilometer section of the East- West was abandoned because of lack of funds and that was why we went to Sukuk through the Ministry.

“We also recall that during the 2021 budget presentation, it was agreed that the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs will contribute the sum of N10bn from its meager N19bn for capital projects, with the understanding that the Ministry of Finance would add N35bn and Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, N35bn, making N80bn for the completion and commissioning of that road by President Muhammadu Buhari this year 2022.”

“The Eleme Junction had to be redesigned to accommodate the Power Station that was not there when the road was contemplated in 2006.”