Works Minister Says $35bn Needed to Execute Concrete Road Projects

The Minister of Works, David Umahi, has revealed that the government needs $35bn to kick start the construction of concrete roads nationwide.

He also stated that the moribund Ajaokuta steel company will provide 16 per cent of the steel material needed for the construction of Nigeria’s roads in concrete pavement.

This far-reaching resolution was the crux of discussion when the works minister met with the Minister of Steel Development, Shuaib Audu, at the ministry’s headquarters in Abuja.

The Chief Press Secretary to the minister, Orji Uchenna, in a statement on Tuesday said, the meeting underscored the imperative of coordination, cooperation, and coherence in the execution of the Federal Government’s action plans for national development.

The minister noted that the funding which would be gotten through a partnership with a commercial bank will be assented to by the federal executive council.

According to the statement, the ministers resolved to synergise and strategise on steps to tap into the opportunities in the Ajaokuta Steel Plant for the development of road infrastructure in Nigeria.

He said that tapping into the opportunities in the steel industry would create jobs and wealth for Nigerians and encourage global market industrialisation.

The former Ebonyi State governor also assured the steel minister of his support to enhance the potentialities of the Ajaokuta Steel Plant.

Earlier in his remark, the minister of Steel Development emphasised the importance of the initiative and expressed hope that it would provide the needed economic boost for the nation, generate revenue and provide thousands of direct jobs for skilled and non-skilled technicians and hundreds of thousands of unskilled jobs in Nigeria.