The Kwara state governor, Abdulfattah Ahmed has emphasized the need for strong synergy between federal government and other tiers of governments in the maintenance and rehabilitation of roads across the country while advocating for high quality standards in the maintenance of roads and infrastructural facilities across the country.

The governor made the call at the opening ceremony of the twentieth national council on works held at banquet hall Ilorin where he noted that the state government has expended over seven billion naira on federal roads in the state while additional eight billion naira has been earmarked for the same purpose this year.

He said his administration places premium attention on road construction and rehabilitation for the economic growth of the state and has initiated and completed about 400km of roads in the last two years, while about 500km of roads are currently on-going across the three senatorial districts of the state.

In his remarks, the Minister of Works, Mike Onolememen said the theme of this year’s council meeting, “reforming the road sector for sustainable development” was designed to focus attention on the need to improve the road infrastructure in Nigeria for economic growth.

According to him, “far reaching decisions were taken at the last council of works to set the platform for the ministry of works to revolutionize the road sector for economic development for the nation”.

The minister added that two draft-bills for the creation of the federal road authority and national road fund arising from the ministry’s road sector reform committee’s report have been approved by the national council on privatisation and would be presented to the federal executive council for approval.

Onolememen said the ministry was working with relevant government agencies and private sector organisations to ensure that the national tolling policy was in place before the end of this year towards achieving private sector financed road infrastructure in the country.