The Federal Government has allocated N6.55billion for the completion of the East-West Road project in the Niger Delta Ministry budget for 2017 fiscal proposal. The breakdown of the funds meant for the road projects which has now been extended to sections five, covering Oron in Akwa Ibom State to Calabar in Cross River showed that the Sections 2 (2-2) Ahoada-Kaiama was allocated N2.2bn and followed closely by Section 2 (2-1) Port Harcourt-Ahoada section of the road.
Meanwhile, the combined South-South and South-East geo-political zones got N52.8 billion for road projects for the two regions, based on the Federal Ministry of Works’ budget. What states got for road projects The figure excludes the road projects in the Niger Delta, which are being handled by the Niger Delta Ministry, including the East-West Road.
Further breakdown shows that the South-East region got an allocation of N26bn, with Anambra State getting N13.7bn; Abia State, N1.3bn; Ebonyi Sate, N1.4bn; Enugu State, N7.5bn, while Imo State got N2.2bn. Also, the six South-South states got N26.8bn for ongoing and new roads undertaken by the Federal Ministry of Works. The breakdown indicates that Cross River State got N3.7bn; Delta State, N4.6bn; Akwa Ibom State, N3.7bn; Bayelsa State, N2.1bn; Rivers State, N9.8bn, while Edo State got N2.96bn as allocation for road projects.
In addition, the sum of N12bn was allocated to Anambra and Delta for the construction of the 2nd Niger Bridge. The dualisation of Kano-Maiduguri Road in Kano, Bauchi, Yobe and Borno received N14bn allocation, while Enugu, Abia and Rivers got N9bn for the construction of Enugu-Port Harcourt carriageway.
For the dualisation of Kano-Maiduguri Road, linking four states — Kano, Bauchi, Yobe and Borno, N14bn was allocated. The Federal Government also allocated a uniform N450m to each of the six geo-political zones for general repairs of roads. In the Niger Delta Ministry budget, others include Section III, Port Harcourt-Eket 1, N800million; Section 1, Warri-Kaiama, N700.668m; Section IV, Eket-Oron, N700m; and the newly-added Section V, Oron-Calabar, N150m, respectively.
Similarly, N15m has been allocated for consultancy for the design of electricity project at Ogbagbene, country home of former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Elder Godsday Orubebe. Ogbagbene community is located in Burutu Local Government Area of Delta State. Other projects listed to benefit from the 2017 budget of the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, are land reclamation and shore protection at Fangbu-Atissa in Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, (Consultancy) N12.257m; electrification of Khana, Rivers State, N30m and consultancy for the design of Owo-Ule road in Owo Local Government Area of Ondo State, N30m.
The design and construction of road at Utomwen Street, off Omoragbon Agho (1km) in Benin City, Edo State is to gulp N30m, while the consultancy for design and feasibility studies of Trans-Akuku Toru Road, Rivers State got N12.323m. Projects earmarked for execution under the budget also include the construction of Calabar-Oban-Asan-Okoroba-Ajassor road in Cross River State for N200m; construction of Mbak Atai-Ikot Ntu-Mkpeh-Oku-Iboku road project in Akwa Ibom state for N80.384m, and skill acquisition training for youth in Nkwere/Nwangele/Isu/Njaba Federal constituency, Imo State, for N20.354m.
Design and construction of Uzi-Uhabiri-Umuchime-Orioji-Ossah community road in Umuahia North Local Government of Abia State received N30m, establishment of agro processing plants in the Niger Delta states of Delta, Bayelsa, Cross River, Ondo, Imo, Rivers and Akwa Ibom got N250m. Capacity-building and empowerment in agriculture and other value-chain in Abia, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Imo, Ondo, and Rivers states is to gulp N230m of the ministry’s budget. Youth/women empowerment training in oil and gas, mobile phones assembly and maintenance (Ministry’s phone MNDA)/ other skills is to gulp N140.179m and establishment of Niger Delta fish production valley to get N100m.
S-West gets lion share
Meanwhile, the S-West region got the lion share of N205bn vote for roads. The South-West geo-political region got the lion share of Federal Government allocation for roads in the 2017 proposed budget with N67.9billion out of the total N205billion budgeted for the rehabilitation and construction of roads in the 36 states of the country and the Federal Capital Territory, FCT. From the figures in the budget proposal submitted by President Muhammadu Buhari to the National Assembly, out of the N67.9billion, Lagos State got the highest share of N54.2 billion; Oyo State, N5.5bn; Ogun State, N1.6bn; Osun State, N574 million; Ondo State, N5.8billion; while road projects in Ekiti were allocated N250million.
The next in line to the South -West is North-Central with N46.2billion; while the North-East region got the lowest with N17.9billion, followed by North-West with N19.8billion. According to the document, the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, is the lowest beneficiary of allocations of road projects with the sum of N162m in 2017. For states in the North Central region, Kogi State got N21.6 bn; Nasarawa received N10.8bn; Niger State received N6.4 bn; Kwara State – N3.6 bn; Benue got N3.2 bn; while Plateau State got N465m.
President Buhari’s North-West zone was allocated N19.7bn for the implementation of road projects across the seven states in the zone.
Kano State got N4.5bnn; Kaduna State got N1.97bn, while Katsina State was allocated N2bn for the dualisation of Kano-Katsina Road. Also the sum of N2.7bn was allocated to Jigawa State; N2.7bn for Kebbi State; N1.6bn to Zamfara State, while N3.6n went to Sokoto State.
The North-East geopolitical zone got an allocation of N17.9bn for the execution of road projects. Gombe State got N80m; Taraba State, N2.4bn; Bauchi State, N3.2bn; Yobe State, N501.8m; Adamawa State got N4.3bn, while Borno State got N7.5bn.
(Vanguard)
