28th September, 2014
Jethro Ibileke/Benin
Challenges ranging from unpaid mobilisation fee, youth militancy and difficult terrain have been cited as among reasons delaying completion of the East-West Road.
The Minister of Works, Architect Mike Onolememen, who disclosed on this on Sunday during an interactive session with journalists in Benin, explained that the project was beset with a lot of challenges.
He said when the road contract was awarded, mobilisation was not paid to the contracting firm to enable it move to site until 2008, but that the funding challenge has been resolved by the Jonathan administration.
Architect Onolememen however announced that the road construction has reached 85 per cent completion, assuring that it would be completed this year.
He said in 2010, only about 4,000 km of roads out of 35,000 km of roads owned by the Federal Government were in good condition, but that the government in the last three years, has built 25,000 km of roads made up of 62 road projects across the country.
According to the Minister, the South-South like other parts of the country, has benefited from the President Jonathan’s transformation agenda maximally. He listed some of the projects his administration attracted to the area to include power stations, rail lines, Maritime University, Institute of Construction Technology and Oil and Gas Institute, among others.
While saying that Jonathan’s approach to governance has motivated ministers to perform beyond their expectations, Architect Onolememen explained that it was because of his good performance that the PDP party organs decided to give him the right of first refusal in a bid to re-elect him to enable him complete most of the projects he has initiated.
On whether he would join the Edo state governorship race in 2016, the minister said his focus was on delivering on his mandate, adding that, “it will be madness to start talking about governorship when you don’t know what would happen tomorrow. 2016 is in the hands of God.”