The Federal Government has hinted that the construction of coastal routes in Nigeria has the potential to attract foreign investment and contribute to a stronger naira.

The Minister of Works, Sen. Dave Umahi, gave the hint at the unveiling of the new design routes for the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project on Wednesday in Lagos.

According to Umahi, the government’s plan to improve infrastructure is ultimately to aim for an economic revolution in Nigeria.

He said: “We talked about our economy, that it needs foreign investments.

“These roads are going to be constructed with concrete pavements and it’s CPC+ F, which means that there is foreign investment that will come in and this foreign investment will strengthen and stabilise the naira.

“  I’m very happy that the President has directed me to begin the design of one of the spurs linking to this coastal routes and that is the Sokoto-Badagry which was conceived by the President Shagari administration.

“It’s going to connect the ongoing routes, Lagos-Badagry routes that is being done by the federal government and state government.

“There is also another route which is the Enugu-Abakaliki-Ogoja-Cameroun-African Trans-Sahara routes. The coastal routes is also going to connect.

“The Sokoto-Badagry is 1,000 kilometre from the spur of the Trans-Saharan trade  routes down to Apo in Abuja is 461 kilometre.

“It means that anyone that is travelling from Sokoto to Lagos will do it in about 10 hours and travelling from South-East to Abuja, will do it in a maximum of about five hours.

“These are the benefits of the coastal routes.’’

The minister also addressed criticism surrounding who gets credit for developing the coastal routes in Nigeria.

He said that some people were upset that President Bola Tinubu was associated with the project saying, the criticism is misplaced anger and a way to attack Tinubu without understanding the bigger picture.

Umahi said: “Some people are already bitter as to why it should be President Bola Tinubu that is the one to develop these coastal routes as tt will be a lasting legacy for generations to come.

“That is just their own anger. So, they look for an avenue to attack. But it’s all about darkening counsel without knowledge.’’

He argued that the project’s long-term benefits outweighed political squabbles, which according to him, weill leave a positive impact for future generations.

Furthermore, Umahi explained how the coastal routes, envisioned by Tinubu when he was then governor of Lagos State, would significantly improve the functionality of the Lagos deep seaport.

He said that the coastal routes, which would facilitate trade within Nigeria and potentially boost economic growth, would allow ships to directly access the deep seaport, eliminating the need for expensive transloading due to insufficient water depth.

“And many ship that were payed for transloading right now from Togo, from the way the sea had insufficient water depth, we’re going to be sending them money because this coastal route is going to be an evacuation corridor for that deep seaport.

“ So, no more transloading. They go straight to the deep seaport and are offloaded and you can have your goods. If you’re going to Northern part of Nigeria, you just come straight to Badagry and then now to Sokoto.

“And this Sokoto is cutting across Kebbi, Niger, Kwara and so on and so forth; that of the South-East is cutting across Benue, Kogi and Nassarawa- Enugu-Ogoja routes.

“These are tough decisions and these are for economic revolution.’’ Umahi said.

The Chairman, House Committee on Information, Ethics and Values, Rep. Olusola Fatoba, has assured of improved budgetary allocation for the Ministry of Information and National Orientation in 2025.

Fatoba disclosed this when he paid an oversight visit to the ministry in Abuja.

“We are on the same page with the Minister on the issue of low budgetary allocation for the ministry in the 2024 budget. The Ministry cannot perform its function effectively with poor funding.

“We would do everything within our powers, including lobbying, to ensure that the ministry is better funded to perform its function of educating Nigerians on government programmes and policies.

“We would also work with stakeholders to ensure improved budgetary allocation for the Ministry in the 2025 budget to enable its carry out its functions effectively, and deliver on its mandate,” Fatoba said.

Earlier, the Minister, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, had said that in a meeting with the committee in 2023, discussions were targeted at improved funding for the information and orientation sectors of the country.

“I know the efforts that the chairman and members of the committee, together with their counterparts in the Senate, put in to ensure that my ministry is properly funded to execute its mandate.

“Theirs, and our combined efforts have not given us the kind of budget that we should have for this ministry in view of the transformative journey that the ministry has embarked upon.

“We believe that the ministry has a critical role to play in ensuring that everything that the government wants to do is properly communicated, and Nigerians get to know, understand and support government policies and programmes.

“However, criticism is a very healthy thing and we all know that president Bola Tinubu is a democrat, who is always open to criticism that is healthy, progressive and aimed at moving the country forward.

“At the ministry, are not happy with the  kind of budget that we have, because the allocation being made for the ministry is, to say the least, very meagre,” Idris said.

The minister lauded the committee for its support, adding that the executive was looking at the challenges being faced by the ministry to ensure that it got the appropriate funding to transform the sector.

Idris said that sometimes the ministry had to go the extra mile to use its contacts and goodwill within the industry to get things done.

“I think that Nigerians, especially the media, are very ready to help but of course, we also know that they are in business. They need to power their generators and pay their staff.

“Therefore, we also need to pay them.  We should not take the relationship for granted,” Idris said.

Gov. Peter Mbah of Enugu State has appealed to workers in the state for patience, saying he remained committed in doing everything needed to make their condition better.

Mbah made the appeal at the 2024 Workers Day Celebration held at Okpara Square in Enugu on Wednesday with the theme: “People First.”

He said his administration would stop at nothing until it achieved workers’ welfare and would strive to fulfil his campaign promises.

The governor, represented by his Deputy, MrIfeanyiOssai, while acknowledging that workers needed improved wages to meet economic realities in the country, stressed  that the income they received currently hardly met the basic needs of life.

“We all go to the same market, buy from the same petrol station and shops and children go to the same school and hospital.

“Be patient with us because we are putting things in place with the means available to the government to make life better for all of us.

“Wage award will not solve all the problems as it is just a palliative to cushion the effects of the hard economy and that is why we are building a system that will solve the problems in the long run,” he said.

He added that:  ”You can witness the revolution in road infrastructure, aggressive work at International Conference Centre, the awarding of a contract to rebuild Hotel Presidential and revitalisedNigergas Company.”

On the state’s  investment in SMART Schools, the governor said the  government desired to do more but lacked the  resources to meet them

“That is why we try to create wealth, and have been aggressive on our foreign and local investments and creation of jobs.

“And our wish and efforts is that in years to come, the workers will live beyond what they are currently facing.”

The governor further explained that his administration was building the SMART schools to train Enugu children for the future as well as improving  public schools and healthcare systems.

He stressed that with an effective transport system,  pressures on families would reduce as their would be no additional cost in maintaining their cars.

While commending workers for the support they had received from them since they assumed office, he promised to look into pension issues to ensure that every retiree got paid.

“I want to thank you for your hard work and commitment in driving government policies to ensure that they benefit the people,” Mbah said.

Earlier, the State Chairperson, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Fabian Nwigbo, said the removal of fuel subsidy without anything in place to cushion the effects, created a lot of hardship for workers who received N30, 000 as minimum wage.

Commending Mbah for all his government was doing in the state, the chairperson urged him to ensure that after the verification of pensioners, payment of arrears of gratuity should commence to alleviate their sufferings.

He equally appealed to him to direct payment of arrears of pension to State Parastatals, Primary Schools and Local Government retirees.

On his part, the state Chairman, Trade Union Congress (TUC), Comrade BennethAsogwa, urged the governor to harmonise gratuity for state and local government retirees.

He also called for the review of the termination of the appointment of some staff of the Enugu State College of Education (Technical).

While lauding the governor for various developmental strides in the state, Asogwa equally appealed to him to regularise  appointment of some civil servants recruited in 2012 by the Coal City Transport Services.

The highlight of the event included a march past by different labour unions in the state.