‘Priority!’ North Central highways main focus of NNPC’s N621 billion renovation project

According to a released statement, the projects are spread across six geopolitical zones, with the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approving last week that NNPC constructs and rehabilitates the roads under the Federal Government Road Infrastructure Development & Refurbishment Investment Tax Credit Scheme, in accordance with Presidential Executive Order 007 of 2019.

The NNPC said it will reconstruct 1,804.6 kilometers of roads under the program for N621.237 billion, with a length of 791.10 kilometers in the North Central zone receiving the greatest share of the budget at N244.872 billion for nine of the selected projects.

They are the dualization of Ilorin-Jebba in Kwara State, which is 110.8km for section 1; the dualization of Jebba-Mokwa-Bokani junction in Kwara and Niger states, which is 46km under Section II of the larger road project; the dualization of Suleja-Minna Road, Phase II, 61km; and the reconstruction of Bida-Lambata Road in Niger.

There is the Agaie-Katcha-Baro Road in Niger, 52.3km; emergency repairs of failed section of Mokwa-Makera-Tegina-Kaduna border in Niger, 164km; Minna-Zungeru-Tagina road in Niger, 90km and Bida-Minna Road in Niger which is 79.1km.

NNPC will spend N56.126bn on 273.35km for three roads in the NorthEast. They are rehabilitation of Cham-Numan section of Gombe-Yola Road in Adamawa, 46.35km; construction of Bali-Serta Road in Taraba, 110km and rehabilitation of Gombe-Biu road in Gombe/Borno, 117km.

For the North West, two roads spanning 283.5km will cost N23.057bn. They are rehabilitation of outstanding sections of Gada-Zaima-Zuru-Gamji road Phase II in Kebbi, 62km and rehabilitation of Zaria-Funtua-Gusau-Sokoto-Birnin Kebbi, 221.5km.

NNPC will also spend N43.28bn to fix 142km of two roads in the South East which are dualization of Aba-Ikot Ekene Road in Abia/Akwa Ibom, 73km and rehabilitation of Umuahia (Ikwuano)-Ikot Ekpene road: Umuahia-Umudike portion in Abia, 49km.

Three other roads of 81.9km will gulp N172bn in the South South. They are rehabilitation of Odukpani-Itu Bridge Head in Cross River/Akwa Ibom, 21.9km; dualization of outstanding portion of Odukpani-Itu-Ikot Ekpene: lot 2, 32km and dualization of Oku-Iboku Power Plant Section of the Odukpani-Itu-Ikot-Ekpene road in Cross River/Akwa Ibom state, 28km.

In the South West, 252.7km stretches of two roads will gulp N81.870bn; NNPC will rehabilitate and expand Lagos-Badagry Expressway (Agbara Junction-Nigeria/Benin border), 62km; and dualization of Ibadan-Ilorin Road (Route A2) Section II in Oyo (Oyo-Ogbomosho), 52km.

The Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola at the recent FEC meeting after the projects’ approval, said the project will be handled through his ministry.

NNPC had intervened in fixing the roads after it pleaded with the Petroleum Tankers Driver (PTD) to shelve their planned strike recently in protest against the deplorable state of the highways.