Abuja’s 10-Lane road project to gulp N257bn[$1.7 BN]
From Mustapha Shehu in Abuja, 05.15.2009
Friday, May 15, 2009

The Abuja Airport Express-way project embarked upon by the Federal Government will cost N257 billion even as President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua  said yesterday that the establishment of the Infra-structure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC) by the Federal Govern-ment was a demonstration of its commitment to providing infrastructure in line with the needs of a modern economy.



Yar’Adua disclosed this in Abuja at the official ground breaking ceremony for the commencement of works on the Airport Expressway and Outer Northern Expressway being constructed by the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FC-TA).

The project involves the expansion of the expressways to 10 lanes respectively and the rehabilitation of the existing expressways.

He described the project as “another bold step in our march towards vision 20-2020, for which the quality of infrastructure will be one of the critical elements for economic growth and prosperity.”

He explained that the two roads which currently have only four lanes each were conceived to be 10-lane expressways in the Abuja master plan.

‘It is in recognition of the huge capital outlay involved in such projects that the Federal Government decided to make full use of the innovation, enterprise and management efficiency of the private sector in improving the road network and in providing better value for money for taxpayers and road users.

Yar’Adua also explained that the establishment of the ICRC as a regulatory framework is to provide  a stable policy regime which is vital to achieving that quality of infrastructure needed to  spur growth in our country and help enhance transparency, and promote efficiency.

He  said funding for the project came under the Private Finance Initiative (PFI) mode of procurement while noting that the FCTA will provide 40 percent of the funding while the contractors will source for the remaining 60 percent payment for which will only be made after completion of the projects.

In his speech at the occasion, FCT Minister, Senator Muhammad Adamu Aliero, recalled that on assumption of office last December, the chaotic traffic situation on the Airport and Kubwa roads had already reached an alarming proportion.

“This prompted us to immediately endorse and support the previous and continuous effort geared towards their expansion and rehabilitation in accordance with the Abuja Master Plan,” he said.

Aliero disclosed that the total cost of the project is N257 billion and said that through rigorous and transparent procurement process, three well tested and competent companies emerged as the winning contractors for the projects. Messrs Julius Berger, he explained, will execute the two lots of the Airport Expressway project, while Messrs Dantata and Sawoe and Messrs CGC Nigeria Limited, will execute Lot I and Lot II of the Outer Northern Expressway (Kubwa Expressway) projects, respectively.

Aliero, who claimed that the project is the first of its kind in this part of the continent, also disclosed that the contracts also provide for the construction of interchange bridges. These bridges will be constructed around the Kubwa, Dutse/Bwari, Katampe Extension and Barracks/IBB Golf Course Junctions, along the Outer Northern Expressway, as well as around the Kuje and Lugbe Junctions along the Airport Expressways.
http://odili.net/news/source/2009/may/15/211.html

This sounds good but the govt should also be investing in Public Transport?

It is not just all about road building.

This project shouldnt be of top priority with scarce resources, one wonder how many roads could be built across the nation with this sum. wonder if it couldnt be concessioned.
2009 Appropriation Bill ceded 91 per cent of the capital vote to five key priority sectors, namely: N361.2bn for critical infrastructure, including capital allocations of N88.5bn for power; N15.4bn for aviation; N26.5bn for petroleum resources; N129.3bn for works; N35.2bn for transport and N48.7bn (out of a capital vote of N64.45bn) for critical infrastructure within the Federal Capital Territory.

T

@topic

I'm sorry to say this is the most stupid thing I've read this week. I'm starting to see now that this Yar Adua is more than a slowpoke. "Vision 20-20 this, ," "Vision 20-20 that." He may be Insane o. $1.7bn to build more roads in Abuja.

Abuja is the poster child for Nigeria's hypocrisy. The city is in place to show the world and world leaders who come to town what Nigeria looks like.
Case in point. The road is full of street lights as soon as you do the T-junction from the Airport unto that road; meanwhile, if you turn left towards Guru Junction, you'll see that barely 20 meters (just beyond the sight of say, a world leader, going to town) the street lights no longer exist.

I like Abuja though.

Where are the priorities? What is wrong with the old road? Yeah, ok. It is not great. True. It could be better. True. But is this what Nigeria needs now? How about spending that money on other things. Like roads in other places. How about Lagos to Onitsha or something like that. Whatever happened to novel Ideas. How about spending this $1.7bn in generating 1,000MW of Wind Power that can begin generating electricity immediately the project is completed since it won't need them to start begging for gas deliveries.

I don't think the best way to spend $1.7bn is to use it on Abuja Airport road o. This is fraud. Why so much anyway? There's already several lanes there already. It can never cost so much to add extra if Lagos to Kano would cost $7bn or so.


Chai!!   I don die!!!

Misplace priorities by a misplaced leaders. What about the rest of the country . The lagos ore road requires urgent attention.

blacksta:

Misplace priorities by a misplaced leaders. What about the rest of the country . The lagos ore road requires urgent attention.

i wonder

How much longer must this incompetence be allowed to continue ?

If it gets built then it gets built. At least an outcome would be seen and something tangible would be put in place, I rather have something tangible being accomplished than thesame money being so easily lost to corruption or whatever else. The only irritating thing is Mr President thinking such a development has put the country on the path to achieiving the vision 20-20 goals, but I have come to expect nothing less than ineptitude from him so no surprises. Whatever is being built now let is get built abeg. Port in Onitsha? Road in the middle of the desert? Let it be spent on something other than being lost in people's account.

I don't know why Abuja is always the top priority of the FG. River Niger needs rehabilitation but they won't care. Na wa oo

Where are the priorities? What is wrong with the old road? Yeah, ok. It is not great. True. It could be better. True. But is this what Nigeria needs now? How about spending that money on other things. Like roads in other places. How about Lagos to Onitsha or something like that. Whatever happened to novel Ideas. How about spending this $1.7bn in generating 1,000MW of Wind Power that can begin generating electricity immediately the project is completed since it won't need them to start begging for gas deliveries.

We always hope that we can have people that will think like this in UMYA administration

Aloy.Emeka:


He explained that the two roads which currently have only four lanes each were conceived to be 10-lane expressways in the Abuja master plan.

It's interesting to see them mention the abuja MASTER PLAN now to suit their interests even while they are busy running after a man who dedicated most of his tenure to implementing the same master plan

As usual - the same people that complains nothing is done are the same people now complaining, what the hell is wrong with Nigerians?

jensinmi:

@topic

I'm sorry to say this is the most stupid thing I've read this week. I'm starting to see now that this Yar Adua is more than a slowpoke. "Vision 20-20 this, ," "Vision 20-20 that." He may be Insane o. $1.7bn to build more roads in Abuja.

Abuja is the poster child for Nigeria's hypocrisy. The city is in place to show the world and world leaders who come to town what Nigeria looks like.
Case in point. The road is full of street lights as soon as you do the T-junction from the Airport unto that road; meanwhile, if you turn left towards Guru Junction, you'll see that barely 20 meters (just beyond the sight of say,  a world leader,  going to town) the street lights no longer exist.

I like Abuja though.

Where are the priorities? What is wrong with the old road? Yeah, ok. It is not great. True. It could be better. True. But is this what Nigeria needs now? How about spending that money on other things. Like roads in other places. How about Lagos to Onitsha or something like that. Whatever happened to novel Ideas. How about spending this $1.7bn in generating 1,000MW of Wind Power that can begin generating electricity immediately the project is completed since it won't need them to start begging for gas deliveries.

I don't think the best way to spend $1.7bn is to use it on Abuja Airport road o. This is fraud. Why so much anyway? There's already several lanes there already. It can never cost so much to add extra if Lagos to Kano would cost $7bn or so.


Chai!!   I don die!!!

What a way to think?

The 'Arewa' want to pump as much money as possible into Abuja, before the bottom falls out of this 50-year old con-job called Nigeria.

Why not repair roads in places where the actual economic activity of this country is being carried out: the South-east for instance; the Niger Delta area; Lagos-Benin express- the death trap where hundreds of people are sacrifice ever so often.

@topic

I'm sorry to say this is the most stupid thing I've read this week. I'm starting to see now that this Yar Adua is more than a slowpoke. "Vision 20-20 this, ," "Vision 20-20 that." He may be Insane o. $1.7bn to build more roads in Abuja.

Abuja is the poster child for Nigeria's hypocrisy. The city is in place to show the world and world leaders who come to town what Nigeria looks like.
Case in point. The road is full of street lights as soon as you do the T-junction from the Airport unto that road; meanwhile, if you turn left towards Guru Junction, you'll see that barely 20 meters (just beyond the sight of say,  a world leader,  going to town) the street lights no longer exist.

I like Abuja though.

While thousands are dying in Lagos-Ibadan, Lagos-Benin, Enugu-PH, Onitsha-Enugu,Aba-Onitsha expressways etc, the federal govt is busy building 10 lane boulevards in Abuja  at a whooping cost of $1.7BN. What is important to Nigerians, a better road that will help reduce accidents or ornamental ones built for the purpose of impressing foreign nationals that visit Abuja?. This is nothing but a pork barrell and the famous road to nowhere. On a scale of importance, I think the aforementioned expressways that are in dilapidated conditions need more attention first before their 10-lane road to hell fire.

The 'Arewa' want to pump as much money as possible into Abuja, before the bottom falls out of this 50-year old con-job called Nigeria.

Why not repair roads in places where the actual economic activity of this country is being carried out: the South-east for instance; the Niger Delta area; Lagos-Benin express- the death trap where hundreds of people are sacrifice ever so often.

Exactly; Is there any week you wouldn't hear any head on collision along Lagos-Ibadan expressway?. Any week at all?

betterstill why cant the fed open roads into all rural areas, ?

Yar'adua is a moronic schoolar. I thought with his wealth of knowledge as a lecturer he should be able to reason like a sane person. How can u spend 257bn just constructing 10 lanes, Yar'adua is toying the line of his predecessors. Do u know how many people have died in Shagamu road, Lagos-Ore road. Ore road is a death trap and i bet u half of the amt needed to construct the 10lanes can be used to fix that road. Even Power is there you can use that amount to generate additional 4,000MW. Im ashamed to be a nigerian

@Tosh_ACER,

Someone is thinking here

Nigerians are impatient pple. Construction and rehabilitation of Federal roads is carried out by Fed. Ministry of Works and if those bad Federal roads are not capture in this year's budget, pls whose fault is it? I know it's not the fault of FCT Minister. If FCT Minister deems it fit to carry out expansion works on Abuja roads, why do we have to criticize him for that? It's Hi time we started talking good of this country.

tosh_acer


is

I_laugh/akpangboon/tombola/mosun_ade


Shitface

The infrastructure that should be built in some parts of this road are interchange bridges, this would reduce the traffic delay on this road at peak hours No need for 10 lanes why waste our money or this is money laundring in the guise of road projects these foreiners would take our money to their country and the dollar would be racing to N200+
There are hundreds of roads crying for repairs/ dualisation all over ,they simply ignore all,
Nigeria is in serious mess.

But this TOMBOLO guy no dey shame?

From Tumfulu to Tosh-Acer, to Agbalumo to Akpangbon to I-laugh?!

This guy needs to get a bloody life!

I thought old people get wiser but the reverse is the case for Tosh-Acer!

I think the FG has lost priority with this. I'll rather see this $1.7b go to building more power stations.

This is my say to the leaders of Nigeria. They need to improve the economy in almost every state in order to improve the standard of living for all. You can't spend all those money on ten lanes when abuja states' population is barely 1 million. Texas state has a population of 25 million, the highest number of lanes they have is about 6. They need to build Lagos, its the Newyork of Nigeria. We need to have about 10 solid states out of our 37 here there will be improvements. Build our own cars, make our products and sell, increase the tariff on all foreign goods so high so majority of people will buy our goods, create jobs by building more airports, roads, ports, 2 million strong military, welcome businesses by making it less expensive with incentives and friendly to do business, invest in energy, nepa 24/7 365 days, increase minimum wage to N80k, let our workforce be trained to meet the life of the 21st century: 80% nigerians and 20% other than nigeria, quality teachers, more government jobs for alot of things in every states to build Nigeria. With this we will attract tourist raising more money. Most importantly Nigerians need to be hard working, less pompous and improve their image around the world in all areas other than fraudsters some other countries think they are. With all this we will be competitive and look more like the giant of Africa with GDP over 1 trillion

My grouse is not in the construction or expansion of roads. My grouse is in the road that is being expanded. People have been complaining and souls have been lost on the benin - ore road for years even before OBJ became President. In this economic climate where we have to prioritise how we spend money, they are expanding a road in abuja and leaving the major one undone. Thats to me very unfair and a misplacement of priorities. I tell you, if it was the Benin-Ore road that govt was about committing money into, Nigerians would have quickly forgotten the debacle that happened in Ekiti and would even forgive all atrocities of this govt and have sung his praise to hig heavens.

Jaylon:


I think the FG has lost priority with this. I'll rather see this $1.7b go to building more power stations.

yea, you are right.

If you build 10 thousand bridges, That wont hide the fact that we dont have constant power supply.

In addition, make government power 51% with civilian power 49% in the country. We need abiding laws, build alot more infrastures and facility, a federal reserve to be in charge of the economy inorder to control the flow of money, test banks, remove old currency, control inflation, print money, control interest rates etc. To accomplish all this we need to spend atleast $2 trillion in 10 major states, then we did be able to pay it off when the economy is sound and build the rest of the country

These fools have money and time to waste.

what do Nigerians expect when the minister of transport and her advisers know nothing about Transport planning or traffic engineering, the world as moved from ''providing 2 sustaining'', instead of them to engage transport consultancy company to tutor them on how the 4lane can be managed and used within its capacity, the slowpoke is talking about how the contract went tru transparent means,
all the other major roads are death traps, disasters waiting to happen and all they think of is converting 4 lanes to 10, na waoh, what a waste of resources,

I know we like to shout down government and in most cases it is justified. However could we be a bit more objective? Sure it could easily be argued that the money could have been put to better use especially since Abuja isn't that populated. However considering that unlike other parts of the country Abuja has largely good infrastructure (Abuja city anyway), it could then easily be passed of as bad judgement (to put it mildly) considering the project was instigated under the administration of the F.C.T Minister and not by Yar Adua. Yar Adua doing ground breaking doesn't mean he instigated the project. If people want to hold grudge with the person responsible for the continued state of the Lagos - Benin roads and other death traps perhaps they should look at the Transport Minister. Sure there are things people could be angry about with regards to the project, however it might make more sense to know who to direct such things at. You cannot hold the minister of agriculture responsible for lack of power, neither can you hold the minister of information responsible for the lack of good roads.

The reason with bringing up this issue is that if people decide to actually do something about it and seriously question the issue in the public arena, then such would be done more efficiently instead of the usual noise that would result in no answers. We should be asking the Minister of Transport why the Lagos-Benin roads are still the way they are, why no projects have been insigated with regards to those roads, when such will be done, what she has been doing, etc. These questions should not be directed at the F.C.T Minister.

How much did the Abuja international stadium cost again?