Fashola, who spoke in Abuja, noted that unlike in the past,
when there was inadequate funding of
infrastructure, the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, had
identified alternative sources of funding that could guarantee sustainability
from the beginning of the projects to their completion without hitches.
He explained that the tax credit scheme remains a new model
that encourages partnership with private companies where taxes are paid in
advance to enable the government invest in notable projects that would be
beneficial to its citizens.
The minister who also mentioned that the federal
government has focused on nine major
axes of Nigeria, explained that the A1 – A4 axis cover the Northern part of the country, while
the A5-A9 axis cover the East and West
of the country.
He explained that the successful completion of all the roads
would lead to sustainable mobility for Nigerians.
“The roads like Akure – Ado –Ekiti and East-West which
people have been complaining about would be adequately catered for with the
approval of the second phase of the NNPC Tax Credit Scheme,” he said.
On payment of compensation, Fashola noted that it would not
be paid to anyone occupying the government’s Right of Way (RoW) and appealed to
members of the communities occupying the areas to vacate.
Earlier, in his introductory remarks, the Permanent
Secretary, represented by the Director overseeing the Office of the Permanent
Secretary, Folorunsho Esan, recalled
that in line with the Executive Order 7 (2019), phase one was approved on
October 27, 2021.
He stated that with the completion of phase one, the Federal
Executive Council (FEC) has also approved phase II of the scheme to fund 44
critical road infrastructure to the tune of N1.96 trillion naira.
Speaking further, Esan said that as it was done with phase
one, phase two would be governed by a set of guidelines to be issued to each
contractor, adding that there would be a funding intervention agreement to be
implemented in addition to the standard condition of the contract governing the
execution of the projects.
He said that the availability of this new funding window
will ensure steady cash flow and a timely completion of projects.
He also stated that the NNPC intervention which began in
October 2021 with phase one has now occupied the top of the log with a
portfolio well in excess of N2.6 trillion.
On the part of NNPC, the Group Chief Executive Officer,
Mallam Mele Kyari, who was represented by the Chief Financial Officer, Umar
Aliya, said that funding would not be an issue anymore as the company is
committed to fully funding the next phase.
“We are committed to setting aside funds for phase II.
Funding would not be a problem. What is important to us is that our consultant
will need to validate the value for money and the quality of work. We will not
compromise the quality and timely completion of work,“ he said.
“There is no need for
excuses. As for us, on our part, we are
committed and we implore the contractors to do quality work and do it on time
so that the road projects can be open for use to Nigerians,” he added.
The Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue
Services (FIRS) Mohammed Nami, explained that most of the roads captured by
Executive Order 7 to be executed by NNPC
were mostly road projects inherited by the administration of Muhammadu Buhari.
“So, we are appealing to Nigerians to trust Executive order
007 so that government will continue to provide the physical infrastructure
that our people need,“he said.
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