Favour Nnabugwu
Twelve months to the completion of the Tin-can Island road project which was awarded to Borini Prono, the construction company has said meeting the completion target depends solely on the availability of funds from the federal government.
Managing Director of Borini Prono Nigeria, G.F. Albertazzi in an interview with Vanguard during an inspection tour of ongoing work at the site by the Minister of Works, Mike Onolenemen in Lagos recently, said the company received down initial fundjng 18 months ago.
Albertazzi who declined to state how much the government advanced the company 18 months ago, said the construction company is relying on the promise of the new minister to avail them fund to speed up the project.
Aside from funding, the Borini Prono chief said this year’s rainfall has contributed to the slow pace of work.
“The main constraint is the rain and another one which is being tackled is the issue of funding. But the minister has promised to take action on that.”
“We are not certain about the amount now since it has been long. But the minister has promised to release funds because we have been on the project in the last 18 months. The completion date is 30 months. Meeting the target depends on the timely release of funds.”
The construction company is building a bridge for containers and trailers from the Nigerian Ports Authority to ply straight to a trailers park that would contain 300 trailers at a stretch.
Onolenemen who inspected the site along with other projects was glad that the projects were not abandoned in their entity in spite of the challenges of funding.
“One thing that is gratifying is that the contractors are on site and working. We will do everything within our power to ensure that we step up the pace of work because of the severe impact on federal government road infrastructure in Lagos state.”
“It is also important to point out the challenges facing us as regards funding of the project. We have appealed for collaboration with the Lagos state government and we are taking the projects seriously because we know the strategic importance of roads projects to the economy of this country.
It is our hope that we are able to complete them soon. I want to assure Lagosians that they should be rest assured that federal government is committed to these road projects.”
The Minister however said that the ministry of works would go into collaboration with NPA and the trailers’ umbrella body to see how best they could collaborate with the government on the major routes they ply.
“Weeks and months ahead we are going to be a sending a proposal on the way we can collaborate to make that road motorable round the year. First of all, we shall be involving the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and the body of Tanker owners who are direct beneficiaries of the roads. We believe that as part of their social responsibility, they should partake in the maintenance of this important infrastructure.”
