Seven States Get N126b Road Contracts Awards

Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Enugu, Gombe, Kaduna and Kwara states are to benefit from the new 12 roads contracts approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) presided over by Acting President Yemi Osinbajo yesterday

The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola, announced this while briefing State House Press Corps at the end of the meeting.

He said, “The headline figures are in the region of about N126 billion. But I think that is not the story, the story really is what the contracts do to the economy.

“They restore confidence back to the construction industry. They recalled back their workers, they are purchasing quarry, gravel, cement, iron rods; the economy is on its way back to a mend.

“Every place in all of those states, once we mobilize the contractors the money is kept in those states.

“Most of the workers who drive the trucks, who fix the roads that you see add to the use of the roads.

“And so, they aggregate to the total output from each of those states to the national productivity and our national recovery.

“What you then would see is improved journey time which was what we promised you.’’

Also the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Sen. Udoma Udoma, added that FEC had extensive discussion on the economic growth plan.

He said that final consultations are being made before the president would launch it.

Udoma said that the plan being approved would drive economic recovery and lay the foundation for longer-term growth.

He said it would address the country’s poor competitiveness, improve the business environment and attract investment in infrastructure, especially power, roads, rail and ports.

He said that jobs and social inclusion “are also key focus areas in the plan’’.

The minister said that immediate execution priorities included agriculture and food security as well as energy particularly power and petroleum products sufficiency.

He also mentioned industrialization with focus on medium and small enterprises, transportation as well as sufficiency and stabilization of the micro economy.

Udoma said that FEC also dwelt on implementation of the plan’s implementation with the creation of a delivery unit in the presidency.