(http://fmi.gov.ng/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Maku-Works-Minister-Benin-Lokoja-Road-300x192.jpg) As the National Good Governance Tour of the South South Geopolitical Zone continues in Edo State, the Minister of Works, Arc. Mike Onolememen has stated that the much awaited Lokoja-Abuja road is to be completed by the end of the year.
The Minister was speaking on Monday during an inspection of a Segment of the Lokoja -Benin Road in company of the Minister of Information, Mr. Labaran Maku and other members of the NGGT team.
"On this project all the contractors have been mobilized to ensure that in all our budgets this project features prominently and hopefully by the time the Abuja – Lokoja road is completed by the end of this year we plan to commission it by the first quarter of next year (2014).
"By the time that section is completed the SURE-P enhanced funding for this corridor of the road will now be transfered to this last segment of the road in that way we will be able to complete this road in record time", the Works Minister said.
He recalled that as part of President Goodluck Jonathan's promise to link the 6 geopolitical zones in the country with dual carriage ways, the contract for the Lokoja-Benin segment which starts from Kaduna all the way to Warri, was awarded last year about October by the Federal Executive Council.
"This road is in four sections. The Section 1 which starts from Obajana junction up to Okene was awarded to CGC, the 2nd section which starts from Okene to Auchi was awarded to M/CAT LTD and the 3rd section from Auchi to Ehor was awarded to Dantata and Sawoe Nig. Ltd and the 4th and last section from Ehor to Benin city was awarded to RCC", he informed.
Onolememen said the importance of the road cannot be overstated because the road serves to link all the dual carriage roads the Federal Government has been investing money in together.
"By the time this segment is completed, whether you are coming from the south west from Shagamu, Ore to Benin or you are coming from the east west road that is being dualized now from Warri to Benin or you are coming from Enugu, Onitsha, Asaba to Benin this section will now connect all these three corridors of dual carriage ways to the ones in the North Central, the North East and the North West.
"This one will take you to the Lokoja-Abuja dual carriage way to Kaduna up to Kano where you will now be linked again to Maiduguri which means we will now be able to transverse major corridors of this country covering thousands of kilometers in an unbroken chain of dual carriage ways and it is truly transformational", the Works Minister explained.
Fielding questions from members of the team, the Minister disclosed that in order to maintain the same quality of the various sections of the road, major construction companies with the required capacity were engaged.
"One of the first things we did was that in the procurement of this road we decided to set the stakes very high. If you were a contractor who would be bidding for this road, if you didn't have a turnover of 25billion naira you were not qualified to bid for this road because we didn't want people who are struggling because this is a very important road. It is one of the major transformational projects of the Federal Ministry of Works.
He further disclosed that each section was awarded at an average contract cost of 11billion naira.
Also speaking, the Minister of Information, Mr. Labaran Maku noted that for sometime the road had been the way it was since the Gowon Military regime when the country had just 12 states. "When you look at Edo State today you will see that Federal Interventions have made Edo State one of the luckiest destinations in Nigeria today. He noted that the State now has major roads linking the various zones of the country.
"I served here so I can see that democracy has worked well for the people of Edo State and the people of Nigeria", Maku added.
He therefore commended the Minister of Works for the push being witnessed in the road sector. "That push has been stronger in the last one year than in the last ten years. If you keep up this push I believe between now and 3years Nigerians will understand that this President, this Government is out to change the way this country works.
"We must keep our eyes on the ball to deliver", Maku urged.
Click here for more pictures (http://fmi.gov.ng/media-center/galleria/photo-galleria/?file=National%20Good%20Governance%20Tour/NGGT%20EDO%20STATE/BENIN%20AUCHI%20LOKOJA%20EXPRESSWAY%20DUALIZATION/)
Via: Federal Ministry of Information (FMI) Nigeria