HIGHWAY INSPECTION: WORKS MINISTER, ENGR UMAHI MEETS WITH OGUN AND OYO STATE GOVERNORS

Pix 2 : L - R : His Excellency Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State having a tete a tete with Hon Minister of Works , Engr David Umahi CON on Nigeria Roads.

..... Says Lagos–Abuja To Take Four Hours Journey Through Supersonic Highways.

 

Minister of Works Engr David Nweze Umahi CON, on Friday, September 1, 2023 announced to concerned stakeholders that the Lagos proposed 4th Mainland Bridge Supersonic Highway will take four hours to drive from Lagos to Abuja.

According to the Honourable Minister of Works, "we had a presentation on it  yesterday with the consultant, and it's going to be on Public Private Partnership (PPP), that will see driving from Lagos to Abuja taking 4hr. We are concluding on it and within one or two months and work will start."

Umahi made this remarks during his meeting with the Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun in his Office in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital. 

He informed the Governor that, "We have a programme called Highway Development Management Initiative (HDMI) and it allows states and other Private Investors to engage with the FG either to take over a fully constructed road to toll and maintain it in partnership with Federal Government or, take a brand new road and reconstruct it and toll it, under laid down agreement. l am very much open to that, we also bring some roads architecture into this kind of arrangement; solar lights where we can fix CCTV to monitor our roads and increase visibility, this will largely reduce insecurity and also create service stations, we can monitor security at these service stations, we have mini clinics, toll vans at this stations just as we see outside the country."

The Minister said: "It is better to break the law and save the life of Nigerians."

He told the Governor that any state government that wants to do PPP with Federal  Government has his approval already.  

"Your Excellency, I am here for you. I pledge to my country and to you to align with your heart beat with the welfare of your people; road is everything. When you have good roads, insecurity is reduced, economy will boom, trade will thrive, education will thrive road is one infrastructure that will touch every sector of our economy. Mr President is very committed to fixing our road that will last 50years." Umahi said. 

The Honourable Minister explained that when people are suffering, they don’t talk about who owns the road. Fixing the road is what they are interested in and that was what Ogun, Lagos and Oyo  State Governments were doing. "Anyone that is complaining that he cannot fix Nigeria road is playing politics."

Pix 1 : L - R His Excellency Governor of Oyo State Engr  Seyi Makinde with Hon Minister of Works, Engr David Umahi CON, after the meeting at the Governors Office in Ibadan, Oyo State  on 31 / 08/ 2023

While holding similar meeting with His Excellency, the Executive Governor of Oyo State Engr Seyi Makinde in his office in Ibadan, the Hon. Minister of Works commended the Oyo government for working on Federal Roads.

"You have done quite a number of roads and you were not waiting that you must have all  approval before you do it, if we are waiting for due process of refund for working on FG roads, our people will be the ones to suffer. We are excited with  Governor Seyi Makinde, we as a Government has also done a number of roads," Umahi said.

His Excellency, the  Governor of Ogun State Prince Dapo Abiodun, in his reaction told the Minister; "I thank you for the remarks you made about how we have been very indiscriminate in working on roads whether they are  Federal or State roads, when our citizens are suffering on the road, they don’t ask who owns the road.”

"I thank you for saying you will give approval to any State Government that wants to fix Nigerian roads, that has demonstrated your capacity and understanding," the Governor said.

During the Minister of Works meeting with the Oyo State Governor, he said “For us, if a road is important to our economy we just go ahead and fix it, an  example is the road between Oyo and Iseyin, the road passes through our major agric business hub and for agro processors in the area, they need good roads to evacuate their products". 

FG asked us to follow the Federal standard in building the road which we did, the project is about 34km and shall be commissioned September 15, 2023 “

Top  Management  Staff of the  Ministry of Works and State dignitaries were present at  both meetings .

*_Blessing Lere-Adams_* 

Director (Information)

Press and Public Relations Unit

Federal Ministry of Works 

1st, September.2023