The Federal Government has earmarked N97.2 billion as a special intervention to rehabilitate 156 damaged sections of federal roads and bridges damaged by flooding nationwide.

This was as the government confirmed that the Second Niger Bridge will open for traffic on Thursday, 15 December.

Floods occasioned by flash rainfall had displaced over 1.4 million, with over 3.2 million persons affected by its effect across the federation.

This made the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd), to direct the Minister of Water Resources, Suleiman Adamu, to lead and coordinate the Ministries of Environment and Transportation as well as state governments to develop a comprehensive plan of action for preventing flood nationwide.

But in a press briefing titled, “State of Roads During Ember Months,” the Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, disclosed on Thursday that incidences of severe flooding in most states had an adverse effect on the nation’s road network which resulted in the need for special intervention.

He said that the interventions aligned with the ministry’s policy of ensuring that federal roads were motorable after every rainy season and that roads damaged due to severe flooding were made motorable.

While giving the breakdown, Fashola revealed that N17.1bn was budgeted for 24 roads in North-Central; N10.8bn was earmarked for 22 roads in the North-East; N5.8bn for 11 roads in the North-West; N7.76 bn for eight roads in the South-East; and N33.7bn for 30 federal roads in the South-South.

Other interventions included: N8.78bn allocated for the rehabilitation of 23 roads in the South-West, and N13 billion for the rehabilitation of 38 bridges.

He noted that funds would be provided through an omnibus provision in the 2022 Appropriation Act for Special Intervention Programs and Erosion Control.

He said, “There are One Hundred and Fifty-Six (156) damaged sections of roads and bridges in the six Geo-Political Zones and major links to the thirty-six (36) States of the Federation that require urgent palliative works to avoid further deterioration.”