President Buhari on the 1st of October, 2016, announced that the federal government has already commenced work on all the twelve River Basin Authorities in the country including the Cross River Basin Authority, in a renewed drive to fully commercialise agriculture and to better support crop production, aqua-culture and accelerated rural development.
The twelves basins include:
I. Anambra – Imo
II. Benin – Owena
III. Chad Basin
IV. Cross River
V. Hadejia – Jama’are
VI. Lower Benue
VII. Lower Niger
VIII. Niger Delta
IX. Ogun – Osun
X. Sokoto – Rima
XI. Upper Benue
XII. Upper Niger
The President who disclosed this in his 56th Independence Day broadcast aired live on national television networks across the country added that his government has also mobilized contractors to site to commence the rehabilitation and reconstruction of the federal highways including the very deplorable Calabar-Itu road.
According to President Buhari, “notwithstanding the budgetary constraints, the current budget allocated two hundred and forty billion naira for highway projects against twelve billion naira in 2015.
“Many contractors who have not been paid for three years have now remobilized to sites. Seven hundred and twenty five billion naira has so far been released this budget year to capital projects.
“The Ministry of Power, Works and Housing has received one hundred and ninety seven five billion naira. Work on the following highways has now resumed.
1. Dualization of Calabar – Itu Road in Cross River/Akwa Ibom States.
2. Dualization of Lokoja – Benin Road, Ehor – Benin city, Edo State.
3. Re-construction of outstanding sections of Benin – Shagamu Express way, Edo/Ogun States.
4. Expansion works on Lagos – Ibadan Dual carriageway, Ogun/Oyo States
5. Rehabilitation of Onitsha – Enugu Expressway, Anambra/Enugu States.
6. Rehabilitation and Reconstruction of Enugu – Port Harcourt Dual carriageway, Abia/Rivers States.
7. Rehabilitation of Hadejia – Nguru Road, Jigawa State.
8. Dualization of Kano – Katsina Road, Kano State.
9. Dualization of Kano – Maiduguri Road, Borno State.
10. Dualization of Azare – Potiskum Road, Azare – Sharuri Road, Bauchi State.
11. Rehabilitation of Ilorin – Jebba – Mokwa – Birnin Gwari Road, Kwara State.
12. Construction of Oju/Lokoja – Oweto Bridge over River Benue, Benue State.”
The President who also noted that other major highways are in the queue for rehabilitation or new construction also expressed optimism that with the remobilization of contractors to site, about nine thousand workers laid off by the companies will be recalled and that several hundreds of thousands of workers will be engaged in the next few months.
