The Senate on Wednesday ordered its standing committee on Works to summon the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, over the abandoned Bodo/Bonny Road linking the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Limited in Bonny, Rivers State.
The Senate decision was sequel a motion sponsored by Senator Gorge Sekibo, who expressed dissatisfaction with worsen situation situation of the road.
In his lead debate, Sekibo in the motion recalled that the 37km road project in Gokana local government area of Rivers State which hosts the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas in Bonny was awarded by the administration of former President Olusegun Obasajo at a cost of N20 billion in 2002 , re-awarded by the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan in 2014 after years of abandonment at contract revalidation value of N120 billion out of which N20 billion was appropriated for in the 2015 budget, which was however not cash backed.
According to him: “To worsen matters, the all important road project was not captured in the 2016 budget, thus making the lack of understanding of the importance of the road for national economic development obvious.”
Sekibo lamented further that though the road project was captured in the 2017 budget, a meager vote of N9 billion was earmarked for it, which, according to him, will lead tothe continued abandonment of the project.
According to mandate given to the committee by the Senate, Fashola is expected to explain to the committee the circumstances surrounding the Federal Government’s inability to partner with the NLNG Management for urgent completion of the 35km road project awarded for N20 billion in 2002 during the former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration.
The upper legislative chamber also directed its committee on works to carry out an independent comprehensive evaluation of the Bodo/Bonny Road project and report back within four weeks.
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