David Umahi, minister of works, says fixing roads in the country is “frustrating” because there are insufficient funds to carry out the needed work.
Umahi spoke on Friday when he appeared before the senate
committee on works to defend his ministry’s budget.
The minister said the cost of road repairs has increased
when compared to what was expended in the previous administration.
“I have not failed in many of my life engagements but I am
feeling frustrated with fixing roads in Nigeria with funds that are not in any
way tangible for what is required,” he said.
“Remember the president inherited 2,064 projects totalling
N13 trillion. If you review that project in line with the market realities now,
it should be close to N18 trillion now.
“The president, who is an economist, who has gone through
all the segments of what we are passing through, by reason of his experiences,
is making efforts to borrow money to do these projects.
“The roads, when fixed, are catalysts to economic growth.
They also eliminate hunger because road infrastructure activities create a lot
of economic activities.”
The former governor of Ebonyi said the roads “cannot be
fixed by mere yearly budgetary provisions”, adding that more attention should
be given to such infrastructure.
Some lawmakers in the committee concurred with the minister,
saying the sum of N827 billion allocated to the works ministry for the 2025
fiscal year is not sufficient.
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