Prince Clem Agba, the immediate past Minister of State for National Planning, has revealed that the Benin-Auchi-Okene-Obajana Road remains uncompleted because of insufficient funds for the project.
Agba made this disclosure while speaking with an audience at the grand reception and dinner night organized in his honour by the Edo State Council of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Benin, News Agency of Nigeria reported.
He explained that budgetary provisions for infrastructure projects, including the Benin-Auchi-Okene-Obajana road, had often been spread thin across various projects, making it challenging to secure adequate funding for any single project.
Agba added that the situation is exacerbated by changes made by the National Assembly to the budget, which often involves removing funds from existing projects and allocating them to new ones.
In his words,
Agba mentioned that a presidential infrastructure development fund and a sovereign wealth fund were providing financial support for these projects, and any funds recovered from corruption cases, such as those related to Abacha loot, were being directed towards the Lagos-Ibadan expressway, second Niger Bridge, and Kano-Kaduna Road projects.
Agba revealed that there are three sections of the Benin-Auchi-Okene-Obajana road handled by three different contractors have remained incomplete for the last fifteen years because of the lack of funds for the project.
Speaking on his contributions towards fast-tracking the work on the road, Agba disclosed that he had approached the minister of Works proposing the use of tax credits. He added that he and the minister of Works during his time had spoken to the Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and initiated discussions with NNPC Ltd,
Agba, however, disclosed that the NNPC Ltd report did not initially encompass the Benin-Auchi-Okene-Obajana road, which he admitted was a substantial challenge he faced advocating for Edo State’s inclusion.
He concluded in his speech that his contribution in lobbying for funding for the road yielded positive results as each of the uncompleted sections on the Benin-Auchi-Okene-Obajana road ultimately got N25 billion. He added that he secured an additional N10 billion in the 2023 budget for two sections.
His words:
