The Minister of Works, Mr Dave Umahi has said that borrowing funds to address Nigeria’s infrastructure deficit was crucial for the nation’s progress.
Umahi said this as he noted that the N800 billion allocated to the ministry in the 2025 budget is inadequate to address the country’s road infrastructure needs.
The minister who spoke during the budget defence session of House Committee on Works emphasised the need for adequate funding to enable the ministry to complete ongoing projects and initiate new ones across the country.
He stated that the scope of road projects the ministry was planning to undertake would not be achieved with the allocation.
“We plead with you to help us; the N800 billion cannot do anything for us. It cannot address our road needs and so we plead with you to help us.
“When the nation is in recession, you have to borrow money and invest in infrastructure.
“That is how you emerge from a recession.
“Infrastructure is a catalyst for economic activities and this hunger we talk about will become a thing of the past.
“Food sellers sand suppliers, gravel workers and others will benefit; support President Bola Tinubu and let’s borrow money to build infrastructure so that Nigeria can be great again,” Umahi said
He therefore appealed to House Committee on Works to use its legislative powers to increase the ministry’s budgetary allocation for the 2025 fiscal year.
The Chairman of the committee, Mr Akin Alabi (APC-Oyo), promised to interface with the Minister of Finance and the Budget Office to unravel the rationale behind the ministry’s low budgetary allocation. (NAN)