Fed govt needs N18.6tr to fix roads in four years – Umahi

• Says roads need emergency intervention

The minister of works, Dave Umahi, has said N18.6 trillion is needed to address issues affecting the road sector in the next four years.

Umahi made the claim on Wednesday, before the House of Representatives Committee on Appropriation while defending the N300 billion for the ministry from the N2.17 trillion supplementary budget.

While calling for contingency funds to deal with emergency situations on Nigeria’s roads, he said “To address our road sector for  the next four years, we would need N18.6 trillion, so the National Assembly must wear its thinking cap on how we can seriously address our road sector.

“I appeal to the National Assembly that the Executive should respect your motions on certain interventions. We must have a contingency fund. When you ask me to go and intervene on certain roads which have collapsed, I have to liken the situation to a man on life support. The man needs immediate attention.

“Where there is an emergency, the road is cut and the citizens are suffering; movement is stopped. It needs an emergency intervention. So, we appeal for a contingency to respect your directives on fixing emergency situations,” Umahi said.