FG pledges to deliver roads that will stand test of time – Minister

The Minister of State for Works and Housing, Abubakar Aliyu, says the Federal Government is committed to deliver qualitative roads that will stand the test of time for Nigerians to enjoy.
Salisu Haiba, acting Director Press, Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, revealed this in a statement on Saturday.
Aliyu was quoted during the media inspection visit of the rehabilitation of Cham-Numan section of Gombe-Numan-Yola Road on Saturday.
Responding to a question on the expected delivery time of the road, he said: “We don’t deliver roads because of politics.
“We deliver roads that will stand the test of time for Nigerians to enjoy the benefit for a long lasting time.”
He explained that the section of the Cham-Numan Road was delayed because the 11km portion of the Savannah swamp area has bad/soft soil, which he said has to be evacuated, replaced and refilled.
Aliyu added: “We are seriously working on it and the procurement process has gone far and about to be completed.
“If we want to do politics with it, we would have rushed to complete it and it will later collapse, but we want to deliver a qualitative job for Nigerians.”
Aliyu also reiterated the commitment of President Muhammadu Buhari to deliver the promises made to Nigerians on roads.
He added that the administration is also showing strong determination to fulfil its promises in other sectors such as housing, rails and education among others.
Buttressing the commitment of President Buhari on delivering roads, he revealed that the budget of his Ministry has risen to N200 billion from the N19 billion they met it in 2015.
He pointed to the fact that the current administration has shown more commitment to providing road infrastructure.
Touching on the other mandate of his ministry in providing affordable housing for Nigerians, the Minister urged people to come in groups and form cooperative societies.
Aliyu said it enables them partner with the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria to get the houses they need for themselves.
Earlier in his briefing to the Minister on the rehabilitation of the Cham-Numan section of Gombe-Numan-Yola Road, the Federal Controller of Works, Salihu Abubakar, said among the challenges delaying the work was the security problem of frequent farmers/herders clashes in the area.
He explained that the contractor had carried out emergency repair works of critical failed sections of the road during the 2019 ember month programme of the Ministry.
Abubakar further said the contractor is presently on site working and the weather is favourable, adding that over 4,250 direct and indirect jobs have been created through the project.