It’s yet another milestone development in Nigeria as the Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, commissioned the second Niger bridge. This is part of the federal government’s effort to link the South-east with the South-south in order to boost the economic activities in the nation through road transportation.
Besides, the government announced the completion of 553 projects and programmes in the Niger Delta, which is an indication that the ministry is working tirelessly towards the growth and development of the nation.
Nonetheless, I want to use this great medium to remind the minister about the N348.59 billion approved by the government in 2018 for the dualisation of the Akwanga-Jos-Bauchi-Gombe road. Sir, though the government has approved the money yet there is nothing in place for the commencement of the project for over five years now.
It is noteworthy that the road is crucial to the North-east that has been facing the challenge of poor road network, especially from Plateau to Bauchi and Gombe states. The road linking Jos to Bauchi is one of the busiest roads in Nigeria, recording a high number of passengers daily but not in a good shape resulting in accidents and armed robberies daily along the roads.
The people in the two regions are mainly agrarian farmers and herders who use the roads to transport their farm produce and cattle to the South-south, South-west and South-east regions of the nation for commercial purposes.
Besides, dualising the roads linking the two regions, North-east and North-central, will facilitate the nation’s agribusiness in many aspects as well as ease the transportation of passengers, and on the other hand, reduce the number of accidents on the roads.
It is sad that nearly four years after the project was awarded and the money approved by the federal government, there is still no hope for the project’s take off even as the President Muhammadu Buhari administration is winding up. Although the minister said the project would be completed in 48 months, but this has since elapsed. What exactly is the problem?
It is at this point that I want to call the attention of the minister of works and Housing to immediately summon the contractors and find out why the project is not progressing all these years in order to rescue these two regions.
Finally, abandoning the project will add to the plights of the people of the North entirely as the road is one of the busiest in the northern region and the country at large, it links nearly six states. Therefore, I think it is important for the ministry under Fashola’s watch to look into the matter and come to our aid.
Yusuf Bukar Kaka,
Department of Mass Communication,
Borno State University
