Buhari to build 47 road projects, 13 housing estates, others in 2020

The Federal Government says it will complete 47 ongoing road projects, including those leading to the nation ports, and major bridges including substantial work on the Second Niger Bridge in 2020.

President Muhammadu Buhari disclosed this in a letter to Nigerians to commemorate the New Year, which was made available to newsmen on Wednesday in Abuja.

He also revealed that 13 housing estates under the National Housing Project Plan would be completed this year.

According to him, Lagos, Kano, Maiduguri and Enugu international airports will also be inaugurated in 2020.

The president said an agricultural rural mechanisation scheme that would cover 700 local governments over a period of three years would also be inaugurated this year.

In 2020 we will present a radical programme of reform – Buhari

Buhari revealed that his administration would be “launching the Livestock Development Project Grazing Model in Gombe State where 200,000 hectares of land has been identified;

“Training of 50,000 workers to complement the country’s 7,000 extension workers;

“Commissioning of the Lagos–Ibadan and Itakpe–Warri rail lines in the first quarter;

“Commencement of the Ibadan–Abuja and Kano–Kaduna rail lines also in the first quarter,’’ the letter read in part.

He stated that the administration would also embark on further liberalisation of the power sector to allow businesses to generate and sell power, while the construction of the Mambilla Power project would commence by the first half of 2020.

According to the president, the construction of the AKK gas pipeline, OB3 gas pipeline and the expansion of the Escravos – Lagos pipeline would commence in the first quarter of 2020.

To recapitulate, some of the projects Nigerians should expect to come upstream from 2020 include:

• 47 road projects scheduled for completion in 2020/21, including roads leading to ports;
• Major bridges including substantial work on the Second Niger Bridge;
• Completion of 13 housing estates under the National Housing Project Plan;
• Lagos, Kano, Maiduguri and Enugu international airports to be commissioned in 2020;
• Launching of an agricultural rural mechanisation scheme that will cover 700 local governments over a period of three years;
• Launching of the Livestock Development Project Grazing Model in Gombe State where 200,000 hectares of land has been identified;
• Training of 50,000 workers to complement the country’s 7,000 extension workers;
• Commissioning of the Lagos – Ibadan and Itakpe – Warri rail lines in the first quarter;
• Commencement of the Ibadan – Abuja and Kano – Kaduna rail lines also in the first quarter;
• Further liberalisation of the power sector to allow businesses to generate and sell power;
• Commencement of the construction of the Mambilla Power project by the first half of 2020; and
• Commencement of the construction of the AKK gas pipeline, OB3 gas pipeline and the expansion of the Escravos – Lagos pipeline in the first quarter of 2020.