The Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, has defended the President Muhammadu Buhari regime’s frequent borrowings to fund projects across the country. 

This, Mr Fashola on Tuesday, said was part of the promise of change made by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in its campaign promise of 2015.

“Our promise of change as a party and government is manifesting in the area of road transport infrastructure.

“The money we borrowed is being invested in all parts of Nigeria and it is driving growth,’’ he said.

The minister spoke in Abuja at the 21st edition of a town hall meeting focused on the federal government achievements in infrastructure development.

In a presentation, Mr Fashola said the regime found a solution to the critical infrastructure with the construction of a new 37 km road from Apapa Port to the Toll Gate which would last for at least 50 years after completion.

The minister also identified Bodo-Bonny Bridge in Rivers which was the only access to the site of Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas.

Mr Fashola said the Buhari administration succeeded in constructing the first road and bridge linking Bonny Island in highly challenging environment and soil condition

The third project according to Mr Fashola is the Second Niger Bridge which he said would be delivered and inaugurated before the end of the year.

He said the administration also took an initiative to fix roads inside federal tertiary institutions and the impact was really worth the effort.

“We are in 76 federal tertiary institutions. We have completed and commissioned 29 and started a round of 22 last year before the ASUU strike,” he said.

In August 2021, the World Bank listed Nigeria among the ten countries with high debt risk exposure. 

(NAN)