Buhari orders NNPC to fix East-West road via Tax Credit Scheme

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President Muhammadu Buhari had directed the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPC Limited, and its subsidiaries to fund the construction of section 4 of the East-West road through the Tax Credit Scheme.

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Section 4 of the project which is handled by the federal ministry of works and housing spans from Eleme roundabout to Onne junction.

The President, represented by the Minister of Environment, Mohammed Abdullahi gave the order on Thursday while delivering a keynote address at a meeting of the 5th National Council on Niger Delta in Uyo, with the theme “Harnessing 21st Century Development Initiatives and Strategies for Greater Development in the Niger Delta”

Describing the East-West road as the largest infrastructural project in Nigeria, the President said the road is strategic in connecting the country’s busiest and foremost commercial cities in the region.

The statement said, “Considering the priority this administration places on the completion of this project, the Ministry of Petroleum has directed NNPC and its subsidiaries to step in and fix section 4 of the East-West road ( Eleme Roundabout to Onne Junction), through the Tax Credit Scheme”

He stated his administration had undertaken critical reforms in the Niger Delta Development Commission, adding that the implementation of the recommendations of the Forensic Audit Report which is being implemented in phases would bring about the constitution of the new board, which according to him is the desire of most stakeholders in the region

In his remarks, the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Umana Okon Umana, explained that the meeting which is held annually is a platform for bringing all development partners to the same table to “proffer solutions to developmental and socioeconomic issues in the region”, adding that the council could not hold for the year 2021, for some cogent reasons.

He disclosed that his administration would publish a compendium of all completed projects undertaken by the NDDC in all the states in the Niger region.

Umana said the need for the publication of the compendium became necessary as some states are of the opinion that NDDC has not done enough.