FG owes road contractors over N950bn - Ekweremadu

By Our Reporter - 02.01.2008

Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, said the Federal Government was owing road construction firms more than N950 billion. Ekweremadu said this on Tuesday when he received in audience, a group from Akaeze community of Ebonyi State in his Mpu community in Aninri Local Government Area of Enugu State.

Apparently reacting to an appeal by his guests that the Federal Government should construct the Akaeze/Okpnku road, he said due to the magnitude of debts on road projects, government resolved not to enter into fresh road contracts in the 2008 fiscal year.

“The decision was to ensure that government settles more than N950 billion outstanding debts on road contracts across the country within the 2008 fiscal year,’’ he said.

He added that “the 2008 budget approved the design of Oji River/Agwu/Okpanku/Akaeze road at the cost of N120 million.’’ Ekweremadu assured the people that other amenities like electricity and water would be provided for the area.

The lawmaker, who corroborated the view of Senator Anyim Ude in the cultural ties of his Mpu community with Akaeze and Amasiri in Ebonyi as well as Igbere community in Abia, urged leaders of the areas to evolve ways of reviving the unity of the communities.

Earlier, the leader of Akaeze delegation, Senator Anyim Ude, said the members came to appeal to Ekweremadu to help in ensuring that Federal Government constructed the Akaeze/Okpanku/Agwu/Oji River road that had been abandoned for years.

Ude, whose position was supported by the council chairman of Akaeze, said the Aninri and Akaeze councils had been grading and maintaining the road at a very heavy cost to lessen the sufferings of residents.