A total of eighty-eight projects valued at over seventy billion naira were awarded by the State Ministry of Works last year.

The Commissioner for Works, Surveyor Paul Osaji, disclosed this while defending the 2009 budget proposals of his ministry before the State House of Assembly Committee on Works and Transport.

Surveyor Osaji listed the projects to include the Asaba-Ughelli, Ugbenu-Koko and Agbor axis dualization, as well as the Sapele- Abigborodo road and the Airport project, Asaba. The Commissioner said the processes for the procurement of the expansion of Osubi airport and the dualization of Effurun-Eku road have reached advanced stages.

He classified the Ughelli-Asaba, Ugbenu-Koko and Effurun-Eku dualization as well as the Airport Project Asaba as Multiplier projects which would boost the State's economy. The Commissioner said the provisions for the multiplier projects in the 2009 budget proposals accounted for over fifteen-point-five billion naira.

He told the Works Committee that work has reached appreciable levels in some urban and intra city road construction across the State.

They include the PTI-Jakpa road, Enerhen - Udu road, Asaba Township roads, Sapele-Abigborodo road, Ekiugbo/Patani junction through market road to Oleh-Patani junction Ughelli. Surveyor Osaji appealed to the Committee to appropriate enough funds for the Ministry to achieve the desired transformation of the State.