In its quest to discourage the emission of gas that leads to global warming and abolish the use of kerosene on road construction and maintenance in Nigeria, the Federal Ministry of Works has commenced the implementation of new policies toward improving service delivery, which include the use of bitumen emulsion in all road projects, in line with the Kyoto Protocol.
Disclosing this during the 20th National Council on Works which took place in Ilorin, last week, Minister of Works, Mr. Mike Onolememen, stated that a policy that has come into operation and has had the most salutary effect on service delivery, in line with the performance management mantra of President Goodluck Jonathan's administration, is the development of a new template for preparing interim statements of contractors.
This policy, according to him, has ensured that only works of a permanent nature are included in the interim statement valuations for payment, which has saved the Federal Government huge sums of money hitherto lost to washouts on works that have been certified and paid for.
Also, he said the new mandatory requirement for a detailed geotechnical study to be authenticated by the Department of Geotechnical, Materials & Quality Control before a project is designed, is another of such measures being deplored.
Onolememen recalled that the theme of the year's Council Meeting, "Reforming the Road Sector for Sustainable Economic Development," is auspicious in the quest to improve road infrastructure for national economic growth and development.
He added that the present administration is poised to deliver better and safer roads to Nigerians, calling on participants to bear in mind the importance of the road sector to the socio-economic development of any nation.
The minister further disclosed that farreaching decisions were taken at the 19th Council on Works in Lagos, last year to set controthe standards for the ministry to revolutionise the road sector for economic development and national integration.
Since then, according to him, the ministry has made giant strides towards implementing institutional reforms in the road sector that would stimulate private sector financing under the PPP model.
He further stated that two draft bills for the creation of the Federal Road Authority and the National Road Fund arising from the Ministry's Road Sector Reform Committee's report have been approved by the National Council on Privatisation and reviewed by the Federal Ministry of Justice.
The two draft bills for the creation of the Federal Road Authority and the National Road Fund, he stated would soon be presented to the Federal Executive Council for approval, before their transmission to the National Assembly for consideration and passage into law.
