Works ministry yet to get N96bn from 2012 budget - Minister

AS dust raised by poor implementation of budget for the year is yet to settle, Minister of Works, Mr Mike Onolememen, has said out of N143,592,745,849 appropriated to the Ministry of Works for 2012, only N47,462,431,157.86 had been released in the first and second quarters, with N44,073,708,342.70 spent on road projects alone.The breakdown showed that over N96 billion was yet to be released to the ministry by the Ministry of Finance.Onolememen had briefed President Good-luck Jonathan on the extent of implementation of the budget of the ministry, but in a presentation on matters arising from the budget briefing, he maintained that 31 per cent of the 2012 budget released in the first and second quarters had been judiciously spent on projects, including the completion of 12 roads nationwide.He said inadequate funding of road projects across the country was a major challenge of the ministry, insisting that the situation accounted for delayed implementation of projects.Speaking through his assistant on media, Tony Ikpasaja, the minister said 156 projects were in their various stages of completion, while 28 highway projects were under the process of procurement for design and construction, with four others already awarded during the 2012 budgetary year.
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