WHY KAIAMA-KISHI ROAD IS NOT COMPLETED YET———- FASHOLA TELLS ENetSuD

The Honorable Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Raji Fashola SAN, has responded to the Freedom of Information (FOI) request submitted by ENetSuD on 9th April, 2019. It will be recalled that ENetSuD wrote the Ministry to account for how all the funds received from Federal Government for the road project execution were spent.

In the response of the Minster referenced FMPWH/DPP/453/T/30, dated 23rd May 2019 and received by ENetSuD on 28th May 2019, Fashola explained that the Construction of 61.85 km Kaiama-Kishi road in Kwara North Senatorial District is a Federal Government capital project funded in 2016, 2017 and 2018 and will cost N3,702,874,523.

Explaining further in his letter, Mr. Fashola disclosed that “the project was awarded on 3^rd August 2013 to Kwara State Government who was not paid for the project between 2013 to 2016. The payment from the Ministry to Kwara State Government started in 2016 and suffered from inadequate funding. Out of N1,500,000,000 budgeted in 2016, only N238,080,218 was released to the Ministry, all of which was paid to Kwara State Government. In 2017, N375,673,188 was released to the Ministry out of N615,000,000 budgeted, all of which was also paid to Kwara State Government”.

However, the exact amount released to the Ministry and paid to Kwara State Government from the N774,503,028 budgeted in 2018 was not disclosed, as the procurement process and 2018 budget execution is still in progress. Mr. Fashola added that the Percentage Physical progress of the project is 16.9%.

ENetSuD noted that the project is underfunded, as the total amount released so far within 3 years is still very low compared to the contract sum, making the project percentage completion to stand at 16.9%. For instance, only 15.9% of the amount budgeted in 2016 and 61% of the amount budgeted in 2017 were released, totaling 16.6% of the contract sum. The percentage of the budgeted amount released in 2018 is yet to be disclosed.

While ENetSuD is aware that part of the road was asphalted around December 2018 (some of which have been washed away by rain), we will continue to monitor further release of fund for the project until it is completed, so that the project will benefit Kwarans as planned.