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The Kwara state Commissioner of Works and Transport, Engr. Rotimi Iliyasu, has cleared the air on the ongoing construction of a flyover bridge at Tanke area of the Ilorin metropolis, said that the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) had not taken the state government to court over the project against assumption in some quarters.
Rotimi, disclosed this while addressing members of the Correspondents chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Kwara council, during a personality programme tagged ‘Newskeg’ said that the contractor is still working on the project.
“The work has not stopped on Tanke flyover project. It is ongoing. It’s just that the contractor, along with NNPC is taking professional consideration of the work, because of the pipeline along the proposed flyover, to ensure quality job, we are assured that the project would be completed according to specification and within specified time”
He also disclosed that the present administration has constructed and rehabilitated a total number of 143 roads since inception.
Explained further that “the 143 roads included majorly rural roads, asphaltic, interlock road construction and reconstruction, as well as rehabilitation were carried out on them”
He added that the administration also done maintenance works on over 200 roads in the three senatorial districts in the state within the period.
The commissioner also said that the state government had intensified monitoring and quality assessment meaures on the roads among the contractors engaged, pleaded with members of the public to desist from burning refuse in drainages, saying that the habit damages roads in no time.
He said that the state government in collaboration with security agencies would embark on arrest and prosecution of offenders, especially shopowners along such roads.
“There’s need for attitudinal change among our people, especially artisans and shopowners along major roads in the state, particularly in the Ilorin metropolis. They gather refuse and burn it inside the drainages thus damaging the roads. What they don’t know is that government would spend money meant for other people- oriented projects on repair of the damaged roads. The state government would soon start prosecuting shop owners along such roads”, he said.
Responding to question on Federal Roads, the commissioner said that Kwara state government under the last administration got N9.8b refund as reimbursement from the Federal Government for roads constructed and rehabilitated in the state between 2018-19.
According to him, the figure was made known to the state by the ministry of finance in Abuja during a visit by Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq to solicit for assistance on the construction and rehabilitation of federal roads in the state.
“It was towards the end of last year that we visited the ministry of works in Abuja with the Governor, we were told that N9.8bn has been paid to the state as reimbursement for federal projects between 2018-19”
“When we asked for the breakdown, the only one we got was the Kishi/Kaiama road which about N270m was paid. Others that were listed for the refund were the Post Office Flyover, Olorunshogo and Asa Dam among others”
“So you find out that most of the roads that were constructed by the past administration in the state were federal government and constituency projects by senators and House of Representatives members from the state”
Responding to question on the yardstick the present administration is using to determine a community that deserved interlock road construction in the state, the commissioner said “it is basically on request of the community and our needs assessment, apart from Ilorin communities and Offa, all other local government areas outside capital city have not come up with a request in that regard, and we are still using this period to call on them to bring forward their request. As an engineer, I can authoritatively say that interlock constructed road is more cheaper, durable than asphalt”
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