http://tribune.com.ng/news2013/index.php/en/news/lead-stories/item/29373-budget-2014-lagos-ibadan,-other-federal-roads-to-gulp-n100bn.html


Budget 2014: Lagos-Ibadan, other federal roads to gulp N100bn


THE Federal Government has proposed a total sum of one hundred billion naira for the completion of major federal roads among which are the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Benin-Ore Shagamu Road, Kano-Maiduguri dualisation, among others.

The N100 billion is to be sourced from the SURE-P fund for 2014, which amounts to a total of two hundred and sixty eight billion naira, a breakdown of the budget proposal presented to the National Assembly by the Finance Minister, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has revealed.

According to the proposal, N20 billion naira was allocated to Lagos-Ibadan Expressway; N20 billion was budgeted for Lokoja-Abuja Road; N10 billion naira to go for Benin-Ore-Sahagamu Road, while Calabar- Katsina Ala Road has N5 billion.

Other roads targeted through the Sure-P fund include Kano-Maiduguri dualisation, which got N12 billion; Port Harcourt-Enugu-Onisha with N11 billion; second Niger Bridge with N10 billion naira as counterparts funding, while special presidential intervention across the country was allocated N12 billion.

The long running East - West Road was also accommodated with a whopping sum of thirty billion naira, while Oweto Bridge got N7 billion.

The budget proposal also targeted investment in rail transportation, with Lagos-Ibadan getting N5 billion naira; Port-Hacourt-Maiduguri rail revitalisation allocated N16 billion and Abuja-Kaduna rail covering track and rolling stock got a total sum of N22 billion naira.

The balance of the fund after the allocations for road and rail projects was allocated to the social safety net programme under Sure-P. A total of N68 billion was allocated to safety nets programmes which include Graduate Internship programme, maternal care, public works, youth, among others.

The executive arm of government had calculated the subsidy removal inflow with a benchmark of N15 billion per month in 12 places for 2014, totalling N180 billion. The unspent balance of N88 billion from 2013 was added to make the total of N268 billion available for spending in 2014.

For crying out loud, how mani times wil this administration wil be budgeting this huge amount of money.. GOODLUCK is getting this wrong another N100billion...While the local contractors claim that they are being owed N500 billion, the Federal Government insisted that it owed the contractors only N30 billion.
It was gathered that the failure of the government to fulfil its financial obligations to the contractors has stalled the repair works on the major road projects awarded by the government such as Lagos-Ibadan expressway.
Findings by Vanguard revealed that the contractors who were awarded major highways and bridges contracts spread across the country were being owed as much as N30 billion arising from liabilities for the 2013 year, thereby exposing them to operational challenges.
The firms were said to have been awarded the strategic road projects by the Federal Government in the hope that N141 billion approved for the Federal Ministry of Works would be released as and when due by the Finance Ministry.
However, findings revealed that of the budgeted N141 billion, only N63.76 billion has so far been released to the ministry for its road projects, leaving an outstanding balance of N76.24 billion.
Some of the local contractors lamented that their operations had been virtually grounded by non-payment for jobs already executed for the Federal Government. Others complained that heavy bank charges on loans extended to them had made it impossible for them to raise more money to continue with the jobs at hand.
“It is very difficult for us to continue to work without being paid by the government,” one of the construction firms’ official told one of our correspondents.
Although the Minister of Works, Arc. Mike Onolememen, could not be reached for a reaction to the development, a competent source close to the ministry confirmed the debt being owed the local contractors, saying that it was not deliberate.
The source admitted: “It is true we have liabilities amounting to N30 billion to our contractors but this is regrettable because we have not deliberately decided to owe them. The truth of the matter is that the money approved in this year’s budget for us has not been released in full to the Ministry by the relevant agency of government.
Finance ministry cashbacked N63bn out of N141bn
“There is no way we can pay contractors what has not been given to us. Of the N141 billion budgetted for us this year, the Ministry of Finance has only cash-backed N63.76 billion. It is not our desire to owe any contractors because we know that once they mobilise to site they come under pressure from the government, the community and the banks.”..... So why on EARTH will this situation not happening again? Let us stop fooling ourselves another CORRUPTION! As for me jonathan is a DISGRACE!

and your point is?

According to the proposal, N20 billion naira was allocated
to Lagos-Ibadan Expressway; N20 billion was budgeted
for Lokoja-Abuja Road; N10 billion naira to go for Benin-
Ore-Sahagamu Road, while Calabar- Katsina Ala Road has
N5 billion.

Other roads targeted through the Sure-P fund include
Kano-Maiduguri dualisation, which got N12 billion; Port
Harcourt-Enugu-Onisha with N11 billion; second Niger
Bridge with N10 billion naira as counterparts funding,
while special presidential intervention across the country
was allocated N12 billion
.
The long running East - West Road was also
accommodated with a whopping sum of thirty billion
naira, while Oweto Bridge got N7 billion.
[quote]

This is Sure-p funds aside from the main line budget...very commendable..if all these money can be released and utilized judiciously we will make remarkable progress

[quote]
The budget proposal also targeted investment in rail
transportation, with Lagos-Ibadan getting N5 billion naira; Port-Hacourt-Maiduguri rail revitalisation allocated N16 billion and Abuja-Kaduna rail covering track and rolling stock got a total sum of N22 billion naira.

Does this mean the Lagos-Ibadan Standard guage line will finally kick-off next year?...if yes..very good development

This is the first analysis of very important projects in the 2014 budget by the Nigeria media. All we'v seen since the budget was laid at the NASS is shadow chasing by the Nigeria media. Shame!

Meanwhile, I wonder why they seem to always lump Enugu-PH road with Enugu-Onitsha road? N11 billion for both roads is small. We dont even know what is in the main budget for roads because Tribune only analysed the SURE-P budget.