The Delta commissioner for works (highways and urban roads), Reuben Izeze, has appeared before the House of Assembly Committee on Works and Special Projects with a comprehensive “performance audit,” as he defended the ministry’s proposed 2026 budget.

Mr Izeze described the annual defence as “an accountability platform through which the ministry reports on its stewardship, justifies past allocations, and outlines the direction for the coming year”.

“Though officially called a budget defence, what we present here is essentially our scorecard,” he told the lawmakers during his defence on Tuesday.

He said that the session allowed the ministry to show how far it had progressed on state infrastructure targets, using funds already released. Mr Izeze commended the committee, led by Mr Oboro Preyor, for its constructive oversight and continued support. He said that the ministry had remained deliberate about transparency, especially in managing the state’s expanding infrastructure portfolio.

Giving a breakdown of the ministry’s activities, Izeze said that between May 29, 2023 and October 30, the ministry supervised 351 projects across all 25 LGAs.

He said that of the number, 262 were inherited from previous administrations, while 89 were initiated by the present administration of Governor Sheriff Oborevwori. According to him, the projects span 1,143.3 kilometres of road construction and rehabilitation, alongside 639.02 square kilometres of drainage channels.

The commissioner described the road projects as central to the government’s infrastructure expansion and urban renewal agenda.

”Of the 351 projects, 199 – valued at N226.629 billion – have been completed. The remaining 152 projects, estimated at N873.2 billion, are currently ongoing,” Mr Izeze said.

He further said that the ministry’s interventions had eased congestion in major cities, improved overall mobility, and addressed recurrent flooding in vulnerable communities. He disclosed that between January and November, the ministry paid N156.76 billion to contractors, including payments tied to ISPOs for both completed and ongoing projects.

Presenting the 2026 budget proposal, Izeze announced the ministry’s estimate of N690.2 billion, marginally higher than the previous year. He attributed the increase to wage adjustments driven by the recently approved minimum wage. He, however, drew the committee’s attention to financial pressures on the ministry’s books.

He said, ”Unpaid certificates for ongoing and uncompleted projects currently stand at N2.317 billion.”

He also said that some project votes were already “grossly overspent”, prompting his recommendation that outstanding liabilities be settled before the end of the year to prevent “avoidable strain” on the 2026 budget.

The commissioner assured the lawmakers that the new budget aligned with the state’s Medium-Term Development Plan (2024–2027). He further said that the budget also reflected global construction industry challenges, such as inflationary pressure on materials and unpredictable weather patterns that often slow project timelines.

“In keeping with His Excellency’s vision for a modern, well-connected Delta, we remain fully committed to delivering critical infrastructure that supports economic growth and enhances the daily lives of our citizens,” Mr Izeze said.

(NAN)