Re: Iyc, Onuesoke Fault Fg Over N621bn Approved For Nnpc To Construct 21 Federal Roads

By Integrity Youth Alliance

The Integrity Youth Alliance has condemned the ignorance of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) and People’s Democratic Party (PDP) stalwart, Chief Sunny Onuesoke, on the Federal Government approval of N621bn for the reconstruction/rehabilitation of 21 Federal Roads across the country by the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

In a press statement on Sunday, 31st October, 2021 in Abuja, the National Coordinator of the Alliance, Kelvin Adegbenga said that it is unfortunate that the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) and Chief Sunny Onuesoke who should know better, are the one faulting the reconstruction/rehabilitation.

“The Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) and Chief Sunny Onuesoke should first understand that the primary reason for the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation’s road infrastructure intervention is to facilitate the effective distribution of petroleum products across the country, '' Adegbenga said.

The statement read further, “We wish to enlighten them on the objective of the Executive Order No. 007 on Road Infrastructure Development and Refurbishment Investment Tax Credit Scheme 2019 namely: To support the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) in provision of adequate public infrastructure for all citizens and encourage the free mobility of people, goods and services throughout the country, to promote national integration and protect the rights of citizens to engage in legitimate economic activities concerned with the production, distribution and exchange of wealth, goods and services; To assist FGN to harness Nigeria’s resources, promote national prosperity and an efficient, dynamic and self-reliant economy, and manage and operate the Roads Transportation Sector, as well as the major sectors of the economy;

“To support the FGN to ensure that her Roads Transportation Infrastructure Policies are channeled at the promotion of a planned and balanced economic development, in such a manner that the material resources of the nation are harnessed and distributed as best as possible to serve the common good and to guarantee participants timely and full recovery of funds provided for the construction or repair of eligible road infrastructure projects in the manner prescribed in the Executive Order.

“We are surprised that the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) and Chief Sunny Onuesoke who should know better that it costs more to build infrastructure in the Niger Delta because of the nature of the land, which is mostly riverine as against the North which has mostly plain dry land could come to the public to fault the timely reconstruction/rehabilitation.

The Group reiterated that from the breakdown by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, the South-South Region got the highest share of the N621bn.

“From our calculation, It cost N309,534,215.8378081 per Kilometer to fix the North-Central roads with 791.10Kilometres at the total cost of N244,872,518,149.29 while the 81.9 kilometres in the South-South that is gulping about N172 billion of the funds; it cost N1,913,236,929.922136 per Kilometer to fix the roads.

“So it is unwarranted and unreasonable for the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) and Chief Sunny Onuesoke to fault the timely intervention of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation without comparing the costing in tandem with the kilometres of the road to be fixed, '' the statement reiterated.

It will be recalled that some participants in the Scheme include: Dangote Cement Plc: awarded tax credit certificate worth N22.3 billion to construct the Apapa-Oworonshoki-Ojota road in Lagos and the Lokoja-Obajana-Kabba road connecting Kogi and Kwara States; MTN: awarded tax credits to construct the 110km Enugu-Onitsha road in Anambra State; Transcorp Group: awarded tax credit to construct the Oyinbo-Izuoma-Mirinwayi-Oklama-Afam Road; Access Bank: awarded tax credits to construct the Oniru axis of VI-Lekki circulation road in Lagos State; GZI Industries: awarded tax credits to construct the Umueme village road, Abia State; Mainstreet Energy: awarded tax credits to construct the Malando-Garin Baka-Ngwaski Road; The BUA: awarded tax credits to construct the Bode-Saadu-Lafiagi road and Eyinkorin road and bridge; Nigeria LNG Limited: awarded tax credits to construct the Bodo-Bonny bridges and road and the Dangote Group: awarded tax credits to construct the Obajana-Kabba road.