Minister of State for Works, Transport and Energy, Surveyor Hassan Zarma, has appealed to the state government to wade into illegal construction of houses on federal roads in Otukpo township, to enable expansion and construction of the roads.
The minister, who made the appeal yesterday when he paid a courtesy visit to Governor Ortom at Peoples House, Makurdi, lamented the indiscriminate construction of houses, saying it made it difficult for construction and expansion of roads passing through the town.
He said he was in the state to inspect ongoing projects under the purview of the ministry, and expressed the hope that when completed, the projects would boost economic activities in the state. He described Benue as strategic as it links the Northern part of Nigeria to the South.
Zarma requested for more land to carry out the phase II of the federal government housing project in the state and resolution of compensation issues relating to the phase I. Speaking, Governor Ortom decried the deplorable state of federal roads in the state and appealed to the federal government to give special attention to rehabilitation and reconstruction of the roads.
The governor said most roads in Benue were in a state of disrepair, adding that some bridges on the federal roads were beginning to collapse. He appealed for the rehabilitation of such roads as well as construction of bridges where necessary for ease of transportation.
He mentioned the Abinsi -Agasha -Anyiin -Wukari, Makurdi -GbokoKatsina-Ala, Makurdi-Otukpo – Ninth mile as well as Makurdi – Naka -Ankpa in Kogi as those that needed urgent attention for easy security access and transportation of goods.
Ortom also told the delegation that all issues regarding compensation on the land for the ongoing construction of a federal housing estate in Makurdi would speedily be looked into, adding that additional land would be provided for the phase II of the project and mass housing estate for low income earners.
