Nigeria’s Minister of works Engr. David Umahi has denied the allegation making the rounds that he paid ₦8.7bn into a Microfinance Bank contrary to extant regulations for construction of roads in the country.
A statement by the special adviser on media to the minister, Barr. Orji Uchenna Orji quoted him as saying; “Let me use the opportunity to debunk something that is ongoing in the social media. I don’t know what they call the group, is it Tracta Budgit or something which claims they’re monitoring the budget of the federal government, said we paid N8.7 billion to the microfinance bank”.
The minister was speaking to journalists in Rivers State during the inspection of the Enugu-Port Harcourt dual carriageway being reconstructed by Arab Contractors Ltd.
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He said the organisation went ahead to say the N8.7 billion was paid against a number of projects in Ekiti State, in Kaduna State, Kastina State and Borno State between June and September, 2023”.
Africa Today News, New York recalls that Umahi had a few weeks ago assured Nigerians that the current dilapidated federal road networks will be transformed to durable ones in two years.
Umahi stated this at the inauguration of the Board members of the Federal Road Maintenance Agency on Thursday in Abuja.
He said a network of good roads will drastically reduce the current inflation rate and high price of goods and services.
He said, ‘We have a very critical situation with our roads all over the country and for me the number one thing Nigerians need is durable roads. Roads are everything and if we fix our roads today, we will bring down inflation in this country because bad roads affect every aspect of our economic activities. Is it transportation of petroleum products, agricultural produce, trade, or movement of tourism?
‘A rich man can send his children to private schools or hospitals but we can never have private roads in this country. So, this is a common denominator for every one of us.
Umahi stated that road infrastructure is critical to the socio-economic development of the nation, adding that the critical sectors that drive economic growth rely greatly on road infrastructure development.