Minister Bagudu assured that as long as funding is available, the Federal Executive Council will keep considering and approving additional roads.
Minister of Budget and National Planning, Senator Atiku Bagudu had said that the country has not made enough investments in the development of infrastructure.
This is as he claimed that underinvestment in several multifaceted infrastructure projects are the direct cause of a number of issues the country has been facing lately.
Bagudu made these statement during his appearance at the National Assembly on Friday to provide insight into the N6.2 trillion additional spending in the 2024 budget as requested by President Bola Tinubu.
During an interactive session with the senate committee on appropriation under the chairmanship of Senator Solomon Olamilekan (APC, Ogun West), Bagudu expressed his appreciation to President Tinubu for having the political resolve to address the infrastructure shortfall by seeking the N3.2 trillion necessary to finance the projects, which include the Trans-Sahara Highway, the Sokoto-Badagry Highway, and the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway. He applauded the president for his belief that the projects, when finished, will boost economic activity and strengthen the basis of national revenue.
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The minister went on to state that in addition to strengthening financial resilience, the projects will promote significant transformation in the economy. In addressing concerns about the state of bad roads and unfinished construction projects in different senatorial districts, he asserted that the federal government had not given up on any of the current initiatives. Bagudu declared unequivocally that other road projects are not receiving less priority attention from the government than innovative projects.
As long as funding is available, he promised, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) will keep considering and approving additional roads. Although the minister did not provide a comprehensive explanation of the supplemental approval, he did provide a sector-by-sector breakdown of the N3.2 trillion ‘renewed hope’ infrastructure projects and the N3 trillion increase in recurrent expenditure being sought.
Senator Olamilekan appealed the minister to provide the committee with a thorough explanation and breakdown of the N6.2 trillion approval as soon as possible.
STAR Check: Nigerians, particularly, constituents of Ogun West district, can keep tabs on the legislative performance of Sen. Olamilekan throughout the 10th senate here.
