The Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, has said the Federal Government will require a minimum of N500 billion annually over the next three years, to develop its 35,000 kilometres network of roads.

He said work is currently ongoing on only 13, 000 kilometres of the nation’s federal roads.

Fashola said this in Abuja, on Tuesday, while speaking to journalists covering the activities of the All Progressives Congress.

The minister explained that if successive administrations had shown the kind of commitment the regime of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), was showing towards the development of the road infrastructure, most Nigerian roads would have been the better for it.

Fashola said, “I think that a minimum of half a trillion every year over the next two, three years will be a strong support to really advance and complete as many as the 711 contracts.

“Again, people are mistaken what I said about 711 contracts to mean roads. No. For example, from Lagos to Ibadan expressway we have one road but two contracts, one with JD, one with RCC.

“On Benin/Lokoja we have one road but we have five contractors. So, the totality of those contracts are made of 711 different contracts on many roads across the country and the total road network now under construction or rehabilitation is little over 13,000 kilometers in different stages of repairs out of total Federal network of 35,000 kilometers.“

He explained that the administration inherited a number of roads which it resolved to complete as many as possible before the end of its tenure in 2023.

According to him, some of roads being rehabilitated were started in 2007, some in 2006 and others are even older.

But that, “unfortunately for reasons that we can only imagine, at a time that the country was earning more revenues, up to $100 per barrel, the total budget of this country was N4 tr. It is now that the country is earning very less, $40 per barrel that it is budgeting N13 tr.”

Fashola also said it was important for Nigerians to stop the abuse of roads.

He noted that each road has a carrying capacity but that most Nigerian roads were made to carry more weight than they were originally designed for.

President Muhammadu Buhari has written to the Senate seeking approval for the confirmation of Professor Mahmoud Yakubu for a second term in office as the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Senate President Ahmad Lawan read the letter on Tuesday at the resumption of legislative proceedings after a one month recess.

In his letter, President Buhari solicited for the lawmakers’ expeditious consideration of his request for another five-year tenure for Mahmoud as INEC Chairman.

Yakubu earlier in November handed over his duties as chairman of the electoral body to Air Vice Marshal Ahmed Muazu at an event held at INEC headquarters in Abuja.

Ahmed is currently acting in that capacity pending when the Senate confirms the reappointment of Professor Yakubu as INEC chairman by President Muhammadu Buhari.

Professor Mahmood Yakubu hands over the leadership mantle to acting INEC Chairman, Ahmed Muazu, at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja on November 9, 2020. Photo: Channels TV/ Sodiq Adelakun.

Muazu has however assured that the departure of Professor Mahmood Yakubu and other National Commissioners from the commission will not affect electoral activities.

He said this during an interactive session with election stakeholders in Bayelsa State ahead of the December 5 bye-elections in the state.

Abubakar Luggerewo, representing Akko Central, has been sworn in as the 7th speaker of the Gombe State House of Assembly, replacing Ibrahim Abubakar of the All Progressives Congress.

Our correspondent gathered on Tuesday that this was done through voice votes by 16 members out of 24 members of the House of Assembly, comprising 20 APC and 4 Peoples Democratic Party members.

Luggerewo, aged 36 years, was sworn in by deputy speaker, Siddi Buba, from Kwami West constituency.

A former deputy speaker, Shuaibu Adamu, announced the names of the 16 members and the motion of the impeachment which was moved by Saddam Bello, representing Funakaye constituency.

According to Buba, a member representing Balanga North, the decision to impeach Ibrahim Abubakar is a collective one.

He said, “The former Speaker of the house was removed due to lack of confidence. We lost confidence in his leadership; and as a house, we are at liberty to change leadership. Once you lack confidence in someone then there has been a breach. We felt the best thing was to remove him and replace him with a brand new speaker.”

The majority leader, Samuel Markus, was also removed through a voice vote announced by Mustapha Usman representing Gombe south.

The speaker was replaced by Ladan Yerima, representing Kaltungo East Constituency.

The Deputy chief whip Yahaya Kaka was replaced with Saddam Bello, representing Funakaye constituency.

The Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday revoked the bail granted Faisal Maina, the son of Abdulrasheed Maina, and ordered his arrest for jumping bail in his trial on money laundering charges.

Justice Okon Abang also ordered that his trial on money laundering charges would proceed in absentia pending when the security agencies would be able to arrest and produce him in court.

The judge also summoned his surety, a member of the House of Representatives, Sani Umar Dangaladima, representing the Kaura-Namoda Federal Constituency of Zamfara State, to appear in court to show cause why he should not forfeit the N60m bail bond which he signed for Faisal.

The order for Faisal’s arrest came barely six days after the same court, on November 18, issued a similar order against his father, Abdulrasheed Maina, a former Chairman of the defunct Pension Reformed Task Team, who is facing separate N2.1bn money laundering charges before the court.

On Monday, Justice Okon Abang, sent Maina’s surety, Senator Ali Ndume, to jail for his inability to produce the fleeing defendant in court.

Earlier on Tuesday, following the judge’s November 18 ruling, Maina’s trial held in his absence with three prosecution witnesses testifying behind him and his legal team.

At the resumed hearing of Faisal’s trial on Tuesday, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s prosecution counsel, Mohammed Abubakar, said both the defendant and his surety had not attended court since June 24, 2020.

Neither Faisal, his surety, nor his lawyer was present at the Tuesday’s proceedings.

Abubakar, therefore, applied the revocation of his bail and his arrest citing section 184 of the Administraton of Criminal Justice Act.

The prosecution also applied for the court to order his trial in absentia as provided by 352(4) of ACJA.

“My third application is for the issuance of summons on the surety, and for him to show cause why he should not forfeit the bail bond,” Abubakar added.

The judge granted the prayers and adjourned till Wednesday.