Minister of Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola has said that he was misquoted on his recent comment about Nigerian roads, saying a section of the media quoted him out of context.
He said his comment that federal roads were not as deplorable as the public portrayed them was used against him by the opposition to score cheap political goals.
Fashola was quoted to have said that Nigeria road surfaces are not as deplorable as the public have made them out to be.
But, Fashola while commissioning a road constructed by Chief Michael Ade Ojo at Ilaramokin in Ifedore Local Government Area of Ondo State at the weekend said he never used the word “exaggeration” while speaking with newsmen in Abuja on the state of Nigeria roads.
Fashola who said that contrary to insinuations on social media, he had travelled round the country through roads to access condition of federal roads, maintained that the federal government would fix its bad roads based on priority list.
The Minister said, “Let me start from the journey by road to the 36 states 12 hours everyday, so I know what I saw, and I also said what I wanted to say in that press conference, and thankfully, a television station showed professionalism by playing the tape to the end.”
“I didn’t use the word ‘exaggerated’, I didn’t say that and please go and listen to what I said,” he stressed.
Fashola also reiterated that the federal government would not refund any state that rehabilitates or reconstructs federal roads, adding that the bill for road refund from state governments was on the high side, amounting to N500billion.
NAN
