FG spends N8.3bn to rehabilitate Funtua Highway, says Fashola

The Federal Government has spent N8.3 billion to rehabilitate the Funtua to Gasua federal highway.
“The Federal Government awarded contract for the upgrade and rehabilitation of the 104 kilometre road in 2009.
Mr. Babatunde Fashola, the Minister of Works, Housing and Power, said this on Friday in Funtua, Katsina State while inspecting the rehabilitation of the road.
He said that the previous government awarded the road contract at N7.9 billion.
The minister said that the present administration reviewed the contract from N7.9 billion to N8.3 billion.
Fashola said that the contract was awarded to Mother Cat Construction Company but was not given enough money by the previous administration.
Fashola was represented by Mr Busari Siriku, a Director of Federal Highways in charge of North West Zone.
He said the current administration had been providing funds to the construction company.
“The Federal Government, under President Buhari, would not want road projects to linger for too long, hence the provision of funds to complete the project,” he said.
Earlier, the Katsina State Federal Controller of Works, Mr Tunde Balogun, said that the road contract was awarded in 2009 while it was in a terrible conditions.
“The mother cat construction company was having funding challenges from the previous government and could not complete the rehabilitation of the road.
“The present government had released enough funds to the company and they have rehabilitated 103 kilometres of road while only one kilometre remains to be rehabilitated.
In his remarks, the Mother Cat site Engineer, Mr. Saed Karen, said that the company would soon complete the road as it had been receiving the necessary financial support from the Federal Government.
“The Federal Government has settled all the outstanding debt and had resumed to the site with the aim of completing the project before June 14, 2018.
“The company had given employment to 150 workers, including engineers, technicians and labourers,” he said.
In his contribution, the Katsina State Chairman of Nigerian Society of Engineers, Mr Aliyu Ibrahim, expressed satisfaction with the quality of materials used to carry out the project.
He commended Federal Government for providing dividends of democracy to the people of the North West Zone.