Ekiti govt to spend N11b on 13 roads

December 6, 2011 12:38PM


The Ekiti State Government has awarded N11.5 billion contracts for the construction of 13 roads spanning 187.87kilometers.

Gov. Kayode Fayemi, who flagged off five of the road projects in Ado-Ekiti at the end of his tour of the 16 local government areas, gave the contractors between six and 12 months to complete the jobs.

The contract documents made available to newsmen showed that the projects include the conversion of the Old Garage-Ojumose Road to a dual carriage way at N866.7 million and Atikankan-Post Office-First Baptist Church Road at N891.8 million.

Others are the Ojumose-Basiri-Police Headquarters-Iyin Road, at N1.55 million; Fajuyi-University Teaching Hospital Road, at N447.54 million; and Ijigbo-Baptist College-Ilawe Road, at N788 million.

They also include the Igede-Awo-Ido Road, at N995.7 million; Ikere-Igbaraodo Road, at N495 million; Ikogosi-Ipole-Iloro-Efon Alaaye Road, at N877 million; Ijan-Ise road, at N702 million; and Ijero-Ipoti-Ayetoro Road, at N888 million.

The rest are the Ilawe-Igbara Odo-Ibuji Road, at N894.7 million; Ikole-Ijesa-Isu-Iluomoba Road, at N1.139 billion; and Oye-Ikun-Otun Road, at N1.003 billion.

Fayemi, who met with the contractors later, reminded them of government's zero tolerance for shoddy jobs, and warned them against entering into any deal with government officials, a development which he said had accounted for poorly executed contracts in the past.

He said the bulk of the money for the road projects would come from the N20 billion bond being sourced from the Capital Market and the money allocated for urban renewal project in the state budget

The governor assured the contractors of prompt payment for the jobs, but warned against embarking on unnecessary holidays once money had been paid.

He told newsmen later that the state was entering a new phase of ``see and feel,'' adding that having put in place necessary policy framework and legislative backing, Ekiti was bound to witness a more rapid development in the area of infrastructure development in the next 12 months.

``The next 12 months are crucial. It is a period of see and feel. Our people will feel the impact of government like they have never felt before, especially in the area of infrastructure development. We have laid the necessary foundation for a proper take-off and nothing will stop us.''

Fayemi said the massive construction work that would commence in the state from December would translate to employment opportunities and economic advantage for the people of the state

He said 12 road projects that were terminated by his administration last month would be re-awarded very soon.

Fayemi added that the 5km road projects embarked upon by each of the 16 local government councils would increase the total coverage to 267 km.

``If we can achieve this within the next one year and embark on another phase by 2013, then by 2014, all Ekiti roads would have become quite motorable, thereby making life more comfortable for our people.''

He appealed to residents to bear with government throughout the period the construction work would last, adding that when the roads were completed, they would not only ease transportation, but also enhance commercial activities in the state.

The governor promised that those who were affected by the demolition exercise that commenced in August would be compensated.

The Commissioner for Works and Transport, Mr Sola Adebayo, said most of the contractors had promised to deliver the jobs before the deadline.

He warned that government would be strict on the issue of deadline, in view of past experiences of abandoned projects.

OAM4J:

Good one.

Ufeolorun:

Toll the roads,no more free passage to Abuja,etc!
Let's make them a transit points so I can chase the youth corpers out of my grans house lol! and turn it into hotel.

@Topic,
Hopefully, cos am growing impatient with this lengthy paper-work.

Ileke-IdI:

Abi. Are you uptodate with the Dec ultimatum that Fayemi gave to them?

I havent heard anything about it since then. It's pissing me off.

Ufeolorun:

^
Nope.
Flying within Naija is one thing I would think twice on,scary man! lol
All those flying caskets like someone rightly called the planes. No falling out of the sky stories in the news lately sha.

I feel he needs to open up the whole place.An Aregbsola kind of Bold plans but Fayemi is 'poshing' thru things ni.

We can make a lot of money from agric [/b]and also latching unto the education perception,build top notch (yes top) private secondary boarding school or encourage (grant) private guys to.We can make loads from education.
Still very much hopeful sha cos I personally don't want to get stuck in lagos only,no flipping way!
I love country life.

[b]Obasanjo makes case for alternative sources of revenue

December 6, 2011 12:22PM



Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has urged government at all levels in the country to explore alternative sources of revenue rather than depend solely on oil proceeds.

He said at a workshop organised by the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) in Abeokuta on Monday that there were more avenues to generate more funds rather than resources from oil.

``We have been sharing resources from one commodity, which is oil. The only thing left is for us to be drinking oil, but we have it intoxicating us.

``We have been using oil as a means of uniting the country, developing and ensuring peace as well as the stability of the country.''

Obasanjo identified agriculture, manufacturing/industrialisation, solid minerals and tourism as alternative areas of generating revenue.

He underscores the importance of exploring the four areas of generating revenue at both state and federal levels.

Obasanjo said Nigeria's population was large enough to satisfy the basic needs of the country if the four areas could be focused on and efectively explored.

``The commitment and passion for what people do matters in whatever success they want to achieve.

``No other means alone can give us food except agriculture, and without food, there is no life. The population is increasing on daily basis and we cannot do without food.

``We must first of all satisfy our need for food security and take it as a serious business in revenue generation and allocation.''

He also advised key players in the economy to take unemployment as a serious challenge that must be tackled head-on.

``People now talk of 'Arab Spring' which was due to high level of unemployment.''

Mr Elias Mbam, the RMAFC Chairman, had earlier said the workshop was to enlighten stakeholders on alternative means of generating revenue.

He said the topic of the workshop, ``Economic Diversification and Enhanced Revenue Generation,'' was specifically chosen because of over-reliance of government at all levels on oil.

Mbam said the commission was determined to sensitise the three tiers of government to shift focus from oil to other avenues of generating wealth.

The Director-General, Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC), Otunba Olusegun Runsewe, said the workshop was timely and also of utmost importance.

He said the workshop was coming at a time the Federal Government was vigorously pursuing programmes that were aimed at transforming the nation's economy.

Runsewe said the nation would generate more resources from tourism if the sector was well integrated into the national economy.

He reiterated NTDC's determination to use cultural festivals as veritable means of generating funds and development.

Ufeolorun:

Toll the roads,no more free passage to Abuja,etc!
Let's make them a transit points so I can chase the youth corpers out of my grans house lol! and turn it into hotel.

@Topic,
Hopefully, cos am growing impatient with this lengthy paper-work.

Ufeolorun:

^
Nope.
Flying within Naija is one thing I would think twice on,scary man! lol
All those flying caskets like someone rightly called the planes. No falling out of the sky stories in the news lately sha.

I feel he needs to open up the whole place.An Aregbsola kind of Bold plans but Fayemi is 'poshing' thru things ni.

We can make a lot of money from agric and also latching unto the education perception,build top notch (yes top) private secondary boarding school or encourage (grant) private guys to.We can make loads from education.
Still very much hopeful sha cos I personally don't want to get stuck in lagos only,no flipping way!
I love country life.

Akanbi_edu:



Not particularly impressed with Fayemi in this regard. Education is the pride of Ekiti people, Fayemi should be talking about creating an economy around this perception. There are over 150million people in Nigeria and every year about a million seek admission into universities. That's a big market for the state.

Gbawe:

Maybe so but deriving income from education , in the first year of his governance, cannot be catapulted above other areas of comparative advantage. If asked, everyone would have their own opinion of what leaders should pursue aggressively but Governors still have to prioritise. Education , because it is about intangibles and the personal development of man, should pragmatically be placed , for example, behind agriculture as a way of deriving income.

As per education, Ekiti should simply attempt to overhaul it totally so that its people benefit from it first and maintain their position as a highly literate and intelligent people . Many other sectors can produce income for Ekiti. They deserve to be looked at first before a sector that should ,[b] for a Government, not really be about profit. [/b]

Akanbi_edu:

We have different ways of viewing this then. I don't believe it is enough to get educated just to be "highly literate and intelligent".

And in the case of Ekiti, I am actually talking about seeing it as a business with a ready market. Let me give an insight into what I expect from the govt.

The govt can keep the current state public university as it is. keep it cheap and efficient to educate based on priority Ekiti indigenes and residents (who have spent an appreciable amount of time in the state).

The govt can create a sort of private/public university/ies with Ekiti govt as a shareholder. Private investors should be in control of this university/universities. This university should be run like every other business with profit in mind. This kind of university should be set up to compete with best in Africa, at such the investment in infrastructure and other essentials should not be compromised. Of course, this school will be expensive but if the quality is there, trust me there are Nigerians willing to pay huge amounts to get quality education. People pay millions in covenant, American university, Redeemers etc just to get a degree. When you even think about the number of candidates willing to get into a university, it becomes particularly attractive. My own thinking is that Ekiti should be able to find a way to make this sector into a commercial activity instead of social service.

Gbawe:

Indeed we do. I am one of those who thinks overt capitalism is ultimately divisive and ruining the world. Yes resources are scarce but , ideally, man must find a way to ensure education is not one of the sectors cynical capitalism and profiteering takes a grip of. Government leaders are not and should never be businessmen. If money accrue to the Nation/State beneficially from thorough investment in high educational standards, then that is good.

To court the education sector as a profit making arm of Government is simply wrong in my opinion. It goes against socially responsible policies the likes of Awolowo are still famous for today. Government should focus primarily on providing quality education for indigenes. If they do a good job, this will bear its own incidental rewards. taking examples from many nations of the world, I don't think education is a sector Governments should develop for the sake of attracting income.