Commissioner urges FG to refund Federal roads rehabilitation funds

Dr Godwin Udeuhele, Enugu State Commissioner for Information.

The Enugu State Commissioner for Information, Dr Godwin Udeuhele, has appealed to the Federal Government to refund the N22 billion the state spent on rehabilitation of Federal roads.

Udeuhele told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Enugu on Saturday that the appeal had become necessary to enable the state government attend to other infrastructure needs.

“Enugu State Government has expressed worried that the Federal Government is yet to refund the N22 billion the state spent on Federal roads within the state in the past years.

“This development has hindered the zeal of the state government to embark on another set of rehabilitation of these roads,” he said.

He said that the state government had approved the rehabilitation of the Federal Old Road along Oji River- Ugwuoba at the cost of N783 million.

“The road collapsed partly because of increased stress caused by movement of heavy duty vehicles; occasioned by total dilapidation of the main Enugu-Onitsha expressway, resulting in all vehicles being diverted to it.

“However, notwithstanding the huge debt, Gov. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, was perturbed by the pains road users were passing through on the road daily.

“Consequently, the governor decided to embark on the rehabilitation of the failed sections of the road to ease traffic flow, especially during the forthcoming yuletide pending when the Federal Government intervenes,” he said.

He urged the public to exercise patience and cooperate with the government to actualise the proposed Federal old road rehabilitation work.