Edo state government owes contractors N28bn

The Edo State Government is indebted to contractors handling road projects across the state to the tune of N28,197,752,833,50, the Commissioner for Infrastructure, Osahon Abraham Amiolemen, has said.

Amiolemen disclosed this yesterday in Benin during the ongoing ministerial briefing.

He said the state government awarded N52,814,329,790,39 road contracts and that a total of N31,340,800,056,56 had been paid to contractors.

According to him, the sum of N13,963,738,463,56 was allocated to the ministry in the 2018 budget, adding that it had accessed N11,905,679,257,66; leaving a balance of N2,058,059,206,90.

The commissioner explained that the state government had awarded over 200 kilometers of roads between January and September across the three senatorial districts.

He further disclosed that 67 roads had been designed and were awaiting procurement processes; while four roads had also been installed with street lights.

The commissioner said the ministry had generated N94.919 million as against the N80 million target given to them.

He said Edo state government was designing a 10-year master plan on road sector with a view to prioritizing road construction.

The commissioner, however, attributed paucity of funds and downpour to the slow pace of road construction in the state.

Credit: Daily Trust