FASHOLA CAUTIONS CONTRACTORS AGAINST USING POOR MATERIALS
The Minister for Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola, says the Federal Government is committed to implementing its economic and development plans across the South East to ease some infrastructure challenges confronting the people.
The Minster, who stated this during a project assessment tour in Enugu State, revealed the Federal Government’s policies on Power and its intended solution to some roads, which had become perennial challenge to users.
The tour led to the inspection of on-going rehabilitation projects at Enugu – Port- Harcourt and the Enugu – Onitsha dual carriageways; installation of 260 Mega Watts Ampere, MVA, transformers, at New Haven, and the 26 national housing project in Enugu state.
Mr. Babatunde Fashiola said that the project development assessment tour was to ascertain the impact of the economic recovery and growth plan of the Federal Government on the people.
The Minister explained that the road rehabilitation across the state was going on smoothly.
However, he appealed to the people of the state to be patient as efforts were on to fix the perennial bad section of the 82 Division-9th Mile Corner axis of the Enugu-Onitsha dual carriage way.
In the area of power, Mr. Fashiola said that the government had about 2,000 mega watts of power not distributed because of shortage of facilities like transformers and breakers in the area.
He advised the state government to pass laws to ease accessibility to power, which the federal government was already implementing through its policy on eligible customer policy and the mini grid regulations, involving heavy consumers of energy from above two mega watts and the other below one mega watts.
The minister commended some of the contractors executing the 26 number national housing project for federal civil servants at Ugwogo-Nike, Enugu East Local Government Area.
He also cautioned those using sub-standard materials to desist from that, as the government paid for the use of quality materials for the project.
The Enugu State Governor, Chief Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi who later entertained the ministers team at the government house, appealed to the federal government for the payment of the over twenty-two billion naira owed to the state government.
The minister’s inspection tour also took him to Anambra State.
CHUKWUMA EZEOGU