(http://fmi.gov.ng/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/DSC_00011-300x199.jpg) The Federal Ministry of Works has evolved an Output Based Maintenance Contracting with the support of the World Bank to scale up road maintenance across the country all-year round. The Minister, Mr. Mike Onolememen disclosed this when members of the National Good Governance Tour went on the inspection of the dualisation of the Lokoja-Benin Road.
He explained that under the new arrangement, contractors would be engaged in the maintenance of all the major roads constructed by the ministry on twenty-hour basis rather than wait until the roads deteriorate before new contracts are awarded.
His words: "We are changing the governance structure of maintenance of roads in this country and all the major dual carriage ways and major roads we are engaged right now in this country, once they are completed, we are commencing the Output Based Maintenance Contracting. In other words, we will now have major contractors on all our corridors who will maintain our road infrastructure on a 24 hour basis; all year round, so we will not have to wait for the roads to deteriorate before we start awarding contracts".
He said already the model has been kick-started on the Ogoja-Ekom and the Abakaliki-Ekom Roads being constructed under the Road Sector Development Team of the Federal Ministry of Works in collaboration with the World Bank and the African Development Bank.
The Minister said the model would soon be transferred to all major alignments when the ongoing construction of roads across the country is completed.
Speaking on the Lokoja-Benin Road,
Mr. Onolumeme recalled that as part of the President's promise to link the six geo-political zones in the country with dual carriage ways, the contract for the Lokoja-Benin arterial road which starts from Kaduna State to Warri in Delta State was awarded last year.
The road construction is in four sections: The first phase which starts from Obajana Junction to Okene was awarded to CGC Nigeria Limited; the second phase that starts from Okene to Auchi was awarded to Mothercat Limited; the third phase from Auchi to Ehor was awarded to Dantata and Sawoe and the fourth phase from Ehor to Benin City was awarded to RCC Nigeria Limited.
The Minister further stated that the road serves as the link with all the dual carriage ways the Federal Government constructed in the past and those ongoing.
According to him "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 dualised 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 one in the North-central, the North East and the North West because 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 Maiduguru, which means we will now be able to traverse major corridors of this country covering thousands of kilometres in an unbroken chain of dual carriage way".
He informed the Team that the dualisation of Abuja-Lokoja Road would be completed by the end of this year due to accelerated funding from the Subsidy Reinvestment Programme (SURE-) for commissioning in the first quarter of next year.
In his remarks, Information Minister Mr. Labaran Maku said Federal intervention had transform Edo State into a destination for development.
He buttressed his assertion by saying "Look at the Lagos Road taking off from the centre of Benin City that traverses right down to Lagos-Ore, then you look at the new expressway and the byepass that takes off somewhere around Ekiadolo that again crisscrosses Benin and gives it a ring-road that returns up to Warri, is Federal.
"Look at the expressway that takes off again from Benin Centre up to Asaba, again federal. Now you Look at this other expressway that is taking off from Benin to Lokoja up to Abuja".
He therefore urged the people of Edo State to always express appreciation to the Federal Government because of the sustained efforts to develop the area.
The Tour Team inspected the on ongoing construction of the Benin-Lokoja Road from Benin City to Auchi.
Joseph Mutah
Press Secretary
Via: Federal Ministry of Information (FMI) Nigeria