The Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, has said that the Federal Government is in talks with Governor Godwin Obaseki on how to improve federal roads in the state.
The Minister who disclosed this during a book presentation at the University of Benin (UNIBEN), Ugbowo, Benin City, said the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration will work to improve the experience of commuters plying the roads daily.
“Work on roads is a continuous process and we will make it better,” he said, promising to form strong alliance with the state government to address the bad spots.
The Minister said the problem with the Benin-Auchi Road was how to drain some portions of the road so that the construction work on the road can stand the test of time, adding, “The problem that we have is how to drain the affected section before we spend money to construct it. It is a drainage problem. We want to ensure that when we build the road, water doesn’t wash it away.”
Fashola said the Federal Government has already mobilised for remedial work on the Benin-Warri Road, assuring that it will get better in the coming months as weather conditions improve.
On the permission for state governors to embark on the construction of federal roads across the country, Fashola said there are rules, processes and laws that must be complied with.
According to him, “There are processes and laws that must be followed and complied with. These are Federal Government road. The state can ask to construct such roads and the Federal Government can grant such requests under certain conditions. The president, who is the custodian of the road, must be informed. He must meet in council with Ministers to look at the request”.
He said the responsibility of the Ministry of Works and Housing is to collaborate with every state government to achieve their developmental objectives in line with the ministry’s mandate on road construction.
