Editorial - Premium Times believes that at a time in which the economy is bleeding profusely, there must be better areas to plough our little resources into.
Premium Times believes that at a time in which the economy is bleeding profusely, there must be better areas to plough our little resources into.
There are similar road networks in the offing, in the Sokoto-Badagry Coastal Highway and the Enugu-Abakaliki-Ogoja-Cameroon Highway, in what seems like a geo-political balancing act. As a spur, the latter will course through Oturkpo in Benue State, to Nasarawa State and end at Apo, in Abuja. On the second project, Mr Umahi said,"We have started the design and I'm sure that as soon as the Federal Executive Council approves it, we will be starting at the Sokoto side.
This action, the letter reads in part, will"ensure that the project is developed in a responsible and sustainable manner, in line with regulations in Nigeria as well as international standards and frameworks." No, this is sophistry! The country's statute and global best practices do not uphold putting the cart before the horse in the award of a contract, as the ministry's letter exemplifies. The ESIA precedes any contract.
A judicious utilisation of resources demands that these vital road networks spread across the six geo-political zones be completed first. In the North, the Kaduna-Zaria-Kano Highway only scaled through the first phase of reconstruction under the last administration. The Abuja-Lokoja Highway has not been completed. With its huge land mass, the northern region has more of such decrepit road infrastructure.
The Benin Sapele Highway and Benin-Auchi-Okene-Lokoja Road remain a nightmare for motorists, who perennially block them in protest. The Benin-Sagamu Expressway rehabilitation, started by the Jonathan administration, is still unfinished work. The Lagos-Badagry-Seme Highway, whose Lagos end will increase from four to 10 lanes, is begging for completion.
As part of the government's 2024 borrowing plan, the Senate, in December last year, approved $7.8 billion and €100 million. The NNPC Limited has facilitated a $3.3 billion loan from Afrieximbank, under a five-year tenure at an 11.85 per cent interest rate, which will be repaid through a crude oil swap, whose value has been seriously questioned by critics.
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