Babatunde Raji Fashola, Nigeria’s Minister of Power, Works, and Housing, has released a scorecard of his eight-year tenure under the Buhari-led administration. The theme of his scorecard presentation was “Tour of Duty as HM of the Federal Republic of Nigeria: A Time and Economic Resource Report (2015-2023).” Fashola stated that the ministry’s projects aimed to improve the living conditions of Nigerians and drastically reduce multidimensional poverty.
One of the highlights of Fashola’s scorecard is that the ministry created about 412,991,000 jobs in the works and housing sector. In addition, the budget for the ministry was increased from 18 billion to 224 BN in the first year of Buhari’s administration. The ministry also issued over 6,000 Certificates of Ownership (Cs-of-O), and 826 programmes and projects were carried out in the power sector.
Fashola further revealed that between 2019 and 2022, the ministry constructed about 9,290 kilometres of roads, marked about 2,270,319 linear metres of lane, and installed about 254,690 road signs. In the housing sector, the ministry successfully delivered about 2,870 housing units in 35 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), while 6,068 housing projects are yet to be completed.
Fashola acknowledged the challenge of multidimensional poverty in Nigeria but noted that the government had taken several actions at the local, state, and federal levels to address the issue. He also stated that his administration’s focus was on the construction of long-neglected capital projects inherited from previous administrations, including several new mega projects.
One of his administration’s major successes, according to Fashola, was the Second Niger Bridge, which had been untouched for about three decades under different administrations. Additionally, the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, originally completed in 1978, gained priority during his tenure due to the population boom and lack of commensurate expansion meant for the road.
Fashola’s administration also focused on the Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano Road, which is made up of three sections. The reconstruction work of the road commenced in 2018, with funding sustained through one of the initiatives of the Buhari administration, the Presidential Infrastructure Development Fund.
In conclusion, Fashola’s scorecard reveals his administration’s strides in improving the lives of Nigerians, creating jobs, and reducing multidimensional poverty. His administration’s focus on neglected capital projects and mega projects has contributed to the development of Nigeria’s infrastructure.
