Scorecard: Buhari broke jinx of difficult projects with lean resources – Fashola

By Ukpono Ukpong

The Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, has said the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration has broken the jinx of the most difficult projects in the history of Nigeria with lean resources.

Fashola stated this yesterday in Abuja, during the media briefing of his ministry’s scorecard at the inaugural edition of the PMB Administration Scorecard (2015-2023) series.

Speaking at the event organised by the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture, and presided over by the Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Muhammed, he said that during the seven and half years, no fewer than 6,022 houses have been constructed nationwide to help address issues of housing deficit.

During the period under review, he also said that President Buhari’s administration has also constructed over 8,352km of road across the country.

Speaking further, the minister described infrastructure development as the most legitimate way of distributing wealth in an economy, explaining that its impact on job creation and economic growth is very significant on the Nation’s economy

According to Fashola, the Change Agenda which was unfolded in the Ministry of Works and Housing in 2015 as part of the larger objective of the Administration of President Muhammadu Buhari was to grow the economy through the revamping and expansion of the nation’s infrastructure on a scale that has not been seen in a long while.

“Indeed, the Ministry of Works and Housing is present in all the States of the Federation either through a Road, Bridge, National Housing Programme, Federal Secretariat or Special Intervention Project.” he said.

Explaining further, Fashola stated that in the last seven and half years, the administration of President Buhari has been very resolute in the pursuit of Progressivism, which is globally recognized as the improvement of the human condition, pointing out that the administration has never abandoned any project of the previous administrations but rather, President Buhari gave a matching order to complete existing projects instead of starting new ones.

Fashola asked: “If in 2015 the conversation was on the existence of a large number of abandoned infrastructures and the seeming lack of political will to complete those infrastructures in spite of the availability of resources and today the Buhari administration has made these possible in spite of lean resources; if in 2015 such critical infrastructure as the Second Niger Bridge, Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano Expressway were either totally non-existent or in a very deteriorated state and if today the Buhari administration has demonstrated that needed political will to break the jinx on our nation’s historically most difficult projects, does it not stand to reason to conclude that the Party which formed the Government deserves to continue to deliver to the people of Nigeria these life- defining infrastructure”.

Fashola disclosed that the second Niger bridge was now completed and will soon be opened to the public for use, pointing out that what was delaying the commissioning was the construction of the link road to the bridge from both the Asaba and Onisha axes.

“I can confirm that the second Niger Bridge itself is finished. People can walk through it now. What remains now is the link roads.” he said.

On Housing, the Minister said that the National Housing Programme that was initiated by the Ministry of Works and Housing at the onset of the Muhammadu Buhari led administration had affordability and accessibility as key considerations.

He said: “The National Housing Programme is now delivering on its objective of stimulating the economies of the 35 states and the FCT. Jobs have been created in the communities where the construction of houses are being built. Such needs for artisans, builders, engineers, and other skilled persons in the built industry, the construction sites have been and remain centres of supply for building materials and other commodities”

He explained that with the Programme now in a season of completion, many of the houses have been completed and are now being handed over to the beneficiaries who follow the allocation procedure set out in the National Housing Programme web portal (nhp.worksandhousing.gov.ng)

“The National Housing Programme has therefore produced new home owners but in the process also produced citizens who found economic fulfilment as contractors, suppliers of various construction items and artisans” he concluded.

Also speaking at the event, Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said naysayers who have attempted to play down the achievements of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration will be left “breathless”.

According to Mohammed, some presidential candidates have attempted to copy Buhari’s achievements as their blueprint.

He said: “In the din of politicking, naysayers have attempted to play down the massive and unprecedented achievements of this administration. Some presidential candidates have even released a poorly-done photocopy of this administration’s achievements as their own blueprint.

“But the series we are starting today will leave them breathless as we cover all the achievements in the various sectors, because we have so much to showcase. The frequency of these briefings will be high and this will run through the remaining part of our tenure.

“Despite attempts in some circles to downplay the achievements of this administration, I have no scintilla of doubt that history will be fairer and posterity will be kind to us. Those whose trips have been shortened and smoothened by good roads and bridges will remember those who built those roads and bridges; those who use the modern terminals at our airports will remember who built them.

“Those who ride on modern trains along Lagos-Ibadan, Abuja-Kaduna and Itakpe-Warri will not forget those who made that happen. And the 9.8 million school children who are fed daily, the one million youths that have been empowered as well as the 500,000 who are undergoing trainings under the N-Power and the 1,632,480 households that have been enrolled in the conditional cash transfer programme will not forget,” the minister added.

According to him, the decision to highlight the administration’s achievements is necessary owing to the fact that the tenure’s end is near.

“As the administration winds down, we believe it’s very important to consolidate our efforts at showcasing these achievements. Hence, we have designed a number of programmes, including the series starting today. In the weeks ahead, we will be unveiling other programmes in this regard.

“In the words of President Muhammadu Buhari, this administration has implemented high-impact projects across the length and breadth of the country that meet the yearnings and aspirations of Nigerians. And this is in recognition of the importance of critical infrastructure in economic development and the quest of this administration to leave a lasting legacy,” he added.