Former Edo State Governor and Senator representing Edo North, Adams Oshiomhole, has accused Minister of Works David Umahi of bias in the allocation of funds for federal road projects, arguing that the rehabilitation of existing roads should take priority over the construction of new ones.
Oshiomhole made the remarks during a podcast interview shared on social media, revisiting his disagreement with Umahi over the ministry’s budget proposals and management of federal roads.
The senator said his criticism during a National Assembly budget hearing was part of his legislative duty to scrutinise government spending and ensure public funds are allocated according to national priorities.
He questioned the rationale for budgeting for new road projects while many existing federal roads across the country remain in poor condition and require urgent repairs.
“As a manager, you do not keep on building new houses when you cannot maintain the houses you already have. It is common sense,” he said.Oshiomhole maintained that his intervention was not politically motivated, despite being a member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and an ally of President Bola Tinubu.
He accused Umahi of invoking the President’s name rather than addressing the concerns raised.
“Ministers should not drop his name to cover up their own mess,” Oshiomhole said, arguing that the President cannot be expected to micromanage every ministry.
He insisted that the responsibility for assessing road conditions, setting priorities and proposing appropriate budgets rests with the Minister of Works.
Oshiomhole also questioned the minister’s plan to present additional road projects to the Federal Executive Council, arguing that available resources should first be used to repair existing roads.
He further raised concerns about the appointment of contractors and called for better coordination between the Ministry of Works and the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA).
Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com