2017: S/South, S/West Gulp 52% Of Federal Roads Budget

The South-South and South West region will get N138 billion (equivalent to 51.45 percent) of the federal government total spending of N268 billion on construction and repairs of 171 roads across the nation. The proposed allocation is N37bn less than the allocation for 108 road projects in 2016, which was pegged at N305bn. The Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing proposed N434.3bn capital allocation for 2017, an increase of N81 billion from the N353.1bn capital appropriation of 2016.
Analysis of the budget by our reporter revealed that in terms of the projects’ cost in 2017, the South-South will get the highest allocation of N74bn to do 30 projects. The zone which is leading this year was the least in 2016 with only N6.770bn for four projects.

The South West zone is following with N64bn for 26 road projects. The zone which had the lion share of N67bn in the 2016 Appropriation Act had 18 projects which included the Lagos-Ibadan road (N49.4bn), Apapa-Oshodi, Lagos (N5.2bn) and the MMI Airport road (N4bn).

The South East has 23 projects worth N36.3bn. In 2016, the zone had 20 projects worth N29.5bn. However another N96bn was earmarked to pay outstanding debts for construction of roads in Anambra State.

The North Central geopolitical zone has more projects in 2017. The 43 road projects under it have been allocated N47bn. It also had the highest number of 22 projects in 2016 when it got N38.5bn.

For the North-east, its allocation is reduced by N2bn this year as it will get N31bn to do 28 projects. It got N33.1bn for 17 projects in 2016.
The North-west which has the least funding of N15.6bn to do 21 projects this year, got N33bn to do 26 projects in 2016.

Key projects in the geopolitical zones

The breakdown of the proposal shows that the key projects in the North Central include the dualization of Obajana junction to Benin road (N9bn); Oju/Loko-Oweto bridge roads (N7bn); Ilorin-Jebba-Mokwa-Bokani road (N3.5bn); dualization of Suleja-Minna road (N2.8bn); and dualization of Abuja-Abaji-Lokoja road (N9bn).

Top of the projects in the North East will be the dualization of Kano-Maiduguri road (N14bn); rehabilitation of Hadejia-Nguru-Gashua-Bayamari road in Jigawa and Yobe states (N2.3bn); construction of bridges destroyed as a result of insurgency (N1.6bn); Tamburawa bridge - protection of exposed piles (N1.5bn), and reconstruction of Sumaila-Falali-Birnin Bako- Bauchi State border road (N1.5bn).

In the North-west, the top projects include the rehabilitation of Sokoto-Tambuwal-Jega-Kontagora-Makera road (N3.2bn); rehabilitation of Zaria-Funtua-Gusau-Sokoto-Birnin Kebbi road (N2.7bn); and the dualization of Kano-Katsina road (N2bn).

Most of the huge projects in the South-west will be in the Lagos axis as they were in 2016. Some of them are the dualization of Lagos-Otta road (N1.7bn); construction of Apakun-Murtala Mohammed International Airport road in Lagos State (N2bn); access road to Apapa/Tincan Port, NNPC depot -Mile2 road (N1.2bn); dualization of Ibadan-Ilorin (N3bn); expansion of Lagos-Shagamu-Ibadan road (N31.5bn), and rehabilitation of Apapa-Oshodi road (N7.8bn).
Other huge projects in the zone include, emergency rehabilitation of Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos (N5.3bn), and rehabilitation of Ikorodu-Shagamu road (N2bn).

In the South South, the major ones include the dualization of Odukpani-Itu-Ikot Ekpene road in Cross River (N3.7bn); rehabilitation of Ikot Ekpene-Aba-Owerri road (N1.2bn); rehabilitation of Calabar-Ugep-Katsina Ala road (N3bn); reconstruction of Benin-Ofosu-Ore-Ajebandele-Shagamu road N5.5bn; construction of Bodo-Bonny road in Rivers State (N9bn); dualisation of Sapele-Ewu road (N4.5bn), and the dualization of Yenegwe road in Bayelsa State (N1.3bn).

For the South East, its major projects will include the rehabilitation of Oba-Nnewi road sections in Anambra and Imo states (N1.1bn); construction of 2nd Niger Bridge phases 2a & 2b in Anambra and Delta states (N12bn); rehabilitation of Enugu-Port Harcourt way (N9bn); rehabilitation of Abakaliki-Afikpo road (N1.2bn) and the rehabilitation of Onitsha-Enugu way (N5bn).