Enugu State Government says it has approved the sum of N183bn for the construction of 141 roads across the Enugu metropolis and 20 rural roads across the three senatorial zones of the state.
The state government said it has also approved the award of 133 more smart schools in addition to the ongoing 127 smart schools to bring them to 260 or one smart school per political ward.
A release by Governor Peter Mbah’s media office on Sunday, revealed that the approvals were announced at the end of the state Executive Council meeting presided over by the governor at the Government House, Enugu.
The Secretary to the state Government, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, who intimated journalists said the projects were in furtherance of Mbah’s determination to grow the state’s economy from $4.4bn to $30bn, achieve a zero per cent poverty headcount index as well as position Enugu state as the premier destination for business, investment, tourism and for living in four to eight years.
The statement reads in part, “Recall that before now, the state’s total budget hovered around N100bn and N120bn with capital expenditure of about N30bn or capital expenditure to budget ratio of about 25 to 35 per cent.
“However, in keeping with Governor Mbah’s promise to de-risk investments, boost production, and run a lean and prudent government, the governor proposed an unprecedented N521.5bn 2024 budget with a capital expenditure totalling over N400bn, which is an equivalent of capital expenditure to budget ratio of about 80 per cent and recurrent expenditure ratio of about 20 per cent.
“Accordingly, the theme that we took away from the Exco is doubling down. The government is doubling down on infrastructure. If you recall, we started with 71 urban roads and 10 rural roads last year. Now, the governor and the Executive Council have also approved 141 urban roads and 20 rural roads.”
Speaking while giving a breakdown of the roads, the Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Engr. Gerald Otiji said the roads covered in this phase included the dualisation of the 41.3km Abakpa Nike-Opi-Nsukka Road with bridges, dualisation of Penocks Junction – Nike Lake Road to T-Junction Flyover, Nomeh-Mburubu-Nara Road with two bridges, Umabi-Ehuhe Achi with a spur to Agbudu-Ihe-Owelli-Ogugu by Enugu-Port Harcourt old road, Nomeh-Oduma Road, Mburubu-Nkereffi Road, and Amodu-Akpugo Road.
Also approved were Iheaka-Ibagwa Road, Ibagwa-Itchi-Unadu-Alor Agu-Ibeje Road, Amagunze-Ihuokpara-Ugbawka Road with a bridge, Obeleagu Umana (Nkwo Ezeagu)-Omughu Umana-Aguobu-Umumba Road, Nara-Nkerefi Road with a bridge, Amagunze-Akpawfu Raod, Amagu-Attakwu-Akegbe Ugwu-Akpasha Road, Obinagu Udi-Isu Awa Road, and Nsukka-Ibagwa-Ogurute-Ette Road.
