In a keynote address to the petroleum tanker driver’s branch of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), the minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, defined what change should mean to petroleum tanker drivers.
The address was made on Thursday in Abuja.
While explaining the importance of energy sufficiency and infrastructure development in the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP), the minister said, “It is one thing to have a plan, and yet another thing to commit to a faithful implementation of that plan.
“If you think this is not important, let me remind you that in 2015, only N18 billion was budgeted for all Nigerian roads in the ministry of works. Only N9 billion was funded at the time, when Nigeria’s oil was selling at close to $100 per barrel.
“This was at the time of the Transformation Agenda, when commitment fell significantly behind stated objectives.
What has changed under the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) is that the Buhari Government has committed close to N300 billion to roads, and funded about N260 billion at a time when oil prices are manifestly below the 2015 figures.
“So, if people ask you what change means, please tell them it means doing more with less.”
He added that the results of that “change” would mean reduced duration of journeys on roads where work has resumed, which include the Ilorin-Jebba road, Suleja-Minna Highway, Tatabu Bridge, among others.
He further acknowledged the support of the Niger State Government, and Sukuk, an initiative of the Federal Ministry of Finance.
“Those of you who ply Ilorin-Jebba will now admit that from spending 7 (seven) days on that road, you now spend less time while works are rapidly progressing, not only on the road but also in the emergency repairs on the Tatabu Bridge, which suddenly collapsed as a result of massive rainfall, flooding, and lack of maintenance.
