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Jonathan orders MDAs to complete on-going projects

By on May 22, 2013

AHEAD of the second anniversary of the present federal administration, President Goodluck Jonathan has given a marching order to all Federal ministries, departments and agencies to complete ongoing and abandoned projects that are viable and of economic benefit to the people.

Minister of Water Resources, Mrs Sarah Reng Ochekpe, said this yesterday, at the commissioning of the N159 million Erusu/Arigidi dam project in Akoko North-West Local Government Area of Ondo State.

Mrs. Ochekpe assured that the government was committed to completing as many  projects across the states as possible.

The Minister noted that the Federal Government has developed a framework for public sector participation in government projects, especially in the water sector.

She said the fostering of Public Private Partnership, PPP, by government was in recognition of the funding challenges from budgetary provision by government to fund the development of critical infrastructure in the water sector.

Mrs. Ochekpe noted that 65 projects have been identified and are currently being packaged with the assistance of the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC) and Nigeria Infrastructure Advisory Facility (NAIF), for public sector engagement.

The Erusu/Arigidi dam has a reservoir of 1.29 million cubic meters of water to be used for water supply, irrigation and fishery development.

The Managing Director of the Benin Owena River Basin Development Authority, Engineer Ajibade Ijasan, at the invent, asked the communities around the project to take advantage of the project to improve on their livelihoods in the areas of health, agricultural activities, industrial development, recreational activities, fisheries and hydro- power generation.

Ijasan, who said that the project was awarded in1993 and initially expected to be completed in 1998, remained an on-going project for 17 years.

Earlier during a visit to the state governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko,the minister said her visit to the State was to inspect some on-going and completed projects in the State under her Ministry with a view to ensuring their quick completion and commissioning.

Ochekpe solicited the State government’s partnership with her ministry in the completion of the Owena Dam Project and to ensure that the components of the transformation agenda of the Federal Government are achieved for the benefit of the people of the state.

 

 

 

[Vanguard]