By Mike Onolememen

At my inaugural meeting with key stake holders on assumption of office at the Federal Ministry of Works in July, 2011, I pointed out that the Transformation Agenda of the President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan’s Administration requires us at the Federal Ministry of Works to change those embedded organizational culture that have continued to hinder the efficient delivery of services to our fellow country men and women, by creating a new vision for the ministry.

The essence of the new vision is to bequeath to our nation, good and motorable road network.  I promised that I will provide the necessary leadership and support to make that vision the new reality in the ministry.

One year after, are we on course on this new reality in the road sector? Yes.  Are we better off than we were on year ago when road project sites were abandoned and travelers suffered untold hardships on our roads from Ore to Benin, Onitsha to Owerri, Gombe to Potiskum, Abuja to Lokoja, Ibadan to Ilorin, among others?  The answer is YES!  Are we where we want to be?  The answer is NOT YES YET!

I understand the challenges we face in the road sector.  I know that many Nigerians are still unhappy with the state of some of our roads.

Though rehabilitation and reconstruction works have been stepped up on majority of our ongoing projects and about 11 road projects such as the Vom-Manchok road (Plateau State), Yola-Numan road (Adamawa State), Gombe Bye-pass (Gombe State), Kaduna Refinery road (Kaduna State), Kano-Daura-Mai Adua road (Katsina State), Aba-Owerri road (Abia State), Onitsha-Owerri road (Anambra State) and Oyo-Ogbomosho road (Oyo State) have been completed, too many Nigerians that do not ply these roads do not appreciate the progress we have made in the last one year.

This is understandable, as Nigeria is a very big country with about 35,000 km of federal roads spread across the 36 States of the federation. However, in furtherance of our commitment to improve federal roads network in all parts of Nigeria, we are opening a new chapter in the delivery of services on Nigerian roads, with “Project Safe Passage” on federal roads across the country.

The implication of this new initiative is to ensure that by December 2012, Nigerians will be able to experience good road corridors devoid of potholes, which will in turn promote safe motoring and passage on federal roads across the country.

The strategy for the realization of the safe passage project is to ensure that contractors engaged by the Federal Ministry of Works and FERMA take immediate steps to recover all sections of their road alignments that have failed or pot-hole ridden as a matter of urgency, before proceeding with the normal programme of works for the contract.

In other words, “Project Safe Passage” will be considered as a contingency for failed sections of road alignments.  Federal roads without subsisting contracts will be taken over by FERMA through its direct labour scheme for the implementation of “Project Safe Passage”.

In order to empower contractors to be able to deliver on this project, the Federal Ministry of Works has paid all outstanding certificates on all its projects to the respective contractors.  Contractors with ongoing contracts on federal roads have since been directed to submit their programme of works for the ‘safe passage project.’ Contractors will be held accountable to the approved programme of works.

As the contractors commence work on this important project that has Mr. President’s endorsement, Federal Government accords great importance to this ‘safe passage project’ which is expected to bestow significant safety benefits to an eagerly expectant people of this country who ply these roads daily.  On our part, the Federal Ministry of Works shall provide all necessary support to make it a worthwhile venture.

Mike Onolememen, Minister of Works, writes from Abuja.