The Senate Wednesday sought for inclusion of Anyigba-Dekina-Shintaku road in Kogi East in the Renewed Hope Infrastructure Fund projects of President Bola Tinubu.
This was sequel to a motion moved by Senator Isah Jibrin (Kogi East) who noted that Anyigba-Dekina-Shintaku Road in Kogi East is a federal road and one of the best transportation routes, which serves as a vital link between communities in Kogi East, Kogi State Capital, Lokoja, and the federal capital, Abuja, as well as the Southeast and South-South geopolitical zones.
Senator Jibrin was concerned that the Anyigba-Dekina-Shintaku road has been in a deplorable state, with commuters now resorting to the longer Lokoja-Ajaokuta-Anyigba road.
According to him, in the 1980s when the road was motorable, commuters used to spend an average of 40 minutes on the road, but now spends over four hours due to the deplorable condition of the road.
He recalled that the Federal Executive Council at its meeting held on Wednesday, 26 January 2022, approved the award of the contract for the reconstruction of the road.
“The then Federal Ministry of Works and Housing awarded the contract to Tech Engineering Company Nigeria Limited on 3rd February 2022, but the contract was recently revoked due to delays in execution by the contractor and has not yet been re-awarded”, he lamented .
He posited that the Federal Government’s innovative approach to infrastructure development through special fundings, such as the Sukuk bonds, which have successfully funded strategic road projects across Nigeria, is a credible and viable alternative funding mechanism for the Anyigba-Dekina-Shintaku road project.
The Senate therefore, urged the Federal Ministry of Works to consider the use of a special purpose fund for the completion of the Anyigba-Dekina-Shintaku road.
In addition, it urged the Federal Ministry of Works to provide toll gates at both ends of the road upon completion to generate revenues to defray the cost of the construction of the road and provide sufficient funds for the maintenance of the road thereafter.
The Senate Chief Whip who is also the deputy chairman of the Appropriation Committee suggested the inclusion of the Anyigba-Dekina-Shintaku road in the Renewed Hope Infrastructure Fund projects of President Bola Tinubu, which was unanimously accepted by all members present.
