A section of the Benin-Asaba Road
The Senate has urged the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, to prioritise the completion of abandoned and ongoing road projects across the country before embarking on new ones.
The upper chamber also called for urgent intervention by the South-East Development Commission (SEDC) to address the worsening effects of flooding and erosion in the South-East.
The issues came up during plenary on Wednesday, following a motion sponsored by Senator Tony Nwoye, who sought special intervention on the highway linking Ogbaru in Anambra State to Andoni in Rivers State.
Contributing to the debate, Senator Isah Jibrin urged the Federal Government to focus on completing existing road projects rather than undertaking new ones, which he described as white elephant projects.
Other lawmakers also drew attention to abandoned road projects in their constituencies, prompting calls for the completion of ongoing works and urgent action to tackle erosion and flooding in the South-East.
However, the Senate rejected an additional prayer by Senator Adams Oshiomhole seeking to prevent the Works Minister from embarking on new road projects until existing ones are completed.
The chamber instead adopted a recommendation by former Senate President Ahmad Lawan, urging Umahi to give priority to old and ongoing road projects.
