The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has presented a symbolic cheque of N621.24 billion for the rehabilitation of 21 critical roads across the country through the Tax Credit Scheme under the Executive Order 7 signed by President Muhammadu Buhari in 2019.

During the presentation ceremony at the Conference Room of the Ministry of Works and Housing Headquarters in Abuja on Tuesday, the minister, Babatunde Fashola, pointed out that the NNPC was not taking over but funding the roads to ensure completion.

He said some of the roads had subsisting contracts that were over 10 years old.

“One of the things we have done is to ask the contractors that they should not ask for the review of the contracts throughout the duration of the projects.

“So we are putting in a governance process and that governance process requires us to do certification of their certificates promptly within five days,” the Minister said.

The minister added that as soon as the certificates were certified they would be escalated to the NNPC which would be required to pay within 30 days.

“So NNPC is not taking over our roads, NNPC is not constructing roads, NNPC is only putting forwards its tax liabilities to fund the roads,” Fashola said, reiterating that the roads would have been completed some years back but for insufficiency of funds.

Earlier in his remarks, Chief Finance Officer of NNPC, Mr. Umar Ajiya, said the Corporation was motivated by the challenged condition of some of the nation’s roads most of which were the arteries of the company’s operations.

Ajiya said with the vandalism of the distribution pipelines the company had been forced to use the roads as its channel of distribution of petroleum products nationwide.

The NNPC Chief Finance Officer said the symbolic presentation of the N621 billion was a way of contributing to the Federal Government efforts to give Nigerians befitting road network, adding that it was an investment that was being done in compliance with the Executive Order 7 to use the company’s tax credit.

The Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service, Mr. Muhammad Nami, in his remarks, said the investment in roads was as a result of Executive Order 007, 2019 meant to encourage taxpayers to use company income tax payable by them to fix the nation’s critical infrastructure in exchange for tax credit.

The critical roads, which are major routes for the distribution of petroleum products across the country by the NNPC include, the roads in the North Central totaling 791 kilometres which are the dualization of Ilorin-Jebba-Mokwa/Bokani Junction Road Section I: Ilorin-Jebba In Kwara State, dualization of Ilorin-Jebba-Mokwa/Bokani Junction Road Section II: Jebba-Mokwa-Bokani Junction In Kwara/Niger States and dualization of Suleja-Minna Road in Niger State.

Also in the zone are the dualization of Suleja-Minna Road in Niger State Phase II, Reconstruction of Bida-Lambata Road in Niger State, Agaie – Katcha – Baro Road, Emergency Repairs of failed section of Mokwa – Makera – Tegina – Kaduna State Border in Niger State, Minna – Zungeru – Tegina road and Bida – Minna Road.

In the South-South, three roads totaling 81.90 kilometres which are under the scheme include rehabilitation of Odukpani-Itu-Ikot Ekpene Road in Cross River State Section I: Odukpani-Itu Bridge Head in Cross River/Akwa Ibom States, dualization of outstanding portion of Odukpani-ltu-lkot Ekpene, and dualization of Oku-Iboku Power Plant Section of the Odukpani-Itu-Ikot-Ekpene Road in Cross River/Akwa Ibom States.

The roads chosen in the South-East, aggregating to 122 kilometres, include rehabilitation of Umuahia (Ikwuano)-Ikot Ekpene Road: Umuahia-Umudike in Abia State and the dualization of Aba-Ikot Ekpene Road in Abia/Akwa Ibom States.

In the North-East, roads involved total 117 kilometres. They include rehabilitation of Cham-Numan Section of Gombe-Yola Road in Adamawa State, construction of Bali – Serti Road in Taraba State and rehabilitation of Gombe – Biu Road in Gombe/Borno State while in the North West the roads chosen, which aggregate to 283.5kilometres, include Rehabilitation of Outstanding Sections of Gada – Zaima – Zuru – Gamji Road Phase II in Kebbi State and Rehabilitation of Zaria-Funtua-Gusau-Sokoto-Birnin Kebbi.

In the South-West, roads chosen are rehabilitation and expansion of Lagos-Badagry Expressway (Agbara Junction-Nigeria/Benin Border) in Lagos State and the dualization of Ibadan – Ilorin Road (Route A2) Section II   in Oyo State (Oyo – Ogbomosho) which aggregate to 114 kilometres.