President Muuammadu Buhari says his administrations commitment to improve road transport infrastructure, and his determination to improve the ease of doing business, create jobs and prosperity to lift people out of poverty is manifesting.
President Buhari made this known on Thursday at the official commissioning of a 40.27 kilometer Nnenwe- Odume and Ishiagu mile 2 roads in Enugu and Ebonyi states respectively.
President Buhari who was represented at the event by the Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu said that as his administration enters the final lap, they are also entering a season of completion and delivery of projects.
“As you can all see, we are handing over today the 40.27 Kilometres Road which is Nnenwe – Oduma – Uburu Road Section I (26.27km) and Section II: Spur to Ishiagu – Mile 2 Road (14km).
“This road links Enugu and Ebonyi States together, and it is a critical component of our national road network.
“This road has been built to the highest quality of design and workmanship and if it is well used and not abused, it should last for the designed service life” the President said.
Road abuse
President Buhari through the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Ogbonnaya Onu, said road abuse takes many forms such as overloading of vehicles and trucks which accelerates pavement damage; spilling of petroleum products, which dissolves all the components and allows water to penetrate and converting the road shoulders to permanent parking places that brings the onset of road failure from the shoulder. He therefore warned the communities in which these roads passed, to ensure it is not allowed to deteriorate.
“We must all do our best to avoid these practices, report them when they occur and act in a lawful manner to stop them.
“The road is also a story of the capacity of our people. The patriotic Nigerians who were employed directly to build this road, the scores of suppliers employed indirectly who are responsible for providing the machines utilized in the construction.
“This road is also a statement of economic efficiency and ease of doing business.
“Of course, this road is part of our many roads to prosperity because reduced journey times means reduced expense on travel, because time is money” he stated.
Boosting economic growth and prosperity
Earlier in his address, the Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, said that from the North West to the North Central, the service driven progressive train of the Federal Government and President Muhammadu Buhari has arrived the South East.
“It therefore gives me great pleasure to bring the good tidings of our administration, to the people and Governments of Enugu and Ebonyi States, who will be impacted by the Nnewe-Uduma Road Sections I and II that our President will hand over today.
“After the handing over of the Sokoto-Tambuwal-Jega- Kontagora-Makera Road and the Vandeikya-Obudu Cattle Ranch Road within the last 10 days, I am happy to reiterate that this is the third of many more project completion and handovers our country will experience in the next few weeks and months as we enter what I call a season of completion and impact”. Fashola said.
According to Fashola, these projects, and many more in various parts of Nigeria, represent major investment in road Transport infrastructure, which is a commitment of the Buhari administration as a driver for economic growth and prosperity.
Emmanuel Ukoh
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