- Contractor handling the dualisation of section 1 of the Kano-Maiduguri road is making some progress on the project
- The 101 km stretch, which is situated in Kano and Katsina, has reached 55 percent completion
- The project manager, Roy Hungushi, said said that the project could be delivered if payment can be sustained
After 11 years of awarding the contract to the contractor, the dualisation of section 1 of the Kano-Maiduguri road, a 101 km stretch, has reached 55 percent completion, Leadership reports.
NAIJ.com noted that the completion date for the project, which is situated in Kano and Katsina states in the northwest, is late 2018.
The level of completion was disclosed to a national media team put together at the instance of the ministry of power, works and housing when the team visited the project to access the performance so far.
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On why the project took so long to get to the current stage, the project manager, Engineer Roy Hungushi, said: "The major challenge that had slowed down the pace of work and even led to stoppage in the past was lack of funds,” adding that the security challenge experienced in the area back then also contributed.
“But we thank God now for the initiative of Mr President. Since the introduction of the SUKUK funding we have been getting paid and that is why you can see that work is seriously going on at various points."
According to Engr Hungushi, if payment can be sustained and all other things go as planned, the project will be delivered at the end of 2018 being the completion date.
The Kano-Maiduguri road section 1 project was awarded on September 28, 2006 after which work commenced on October, 2006. Initially, It was awarded at the sum of N37 billion, but later reviewed to N55 billion.
The original completion date of 11th February, 2010 had been extended three times. The current date of completion is December 31, 2018.
The Kano-Maiduguri road project is over 500km in length, and it is one of the 25 roads being funded with SUKUK fund. Section 2, 3, 4, 5 which also suffered setback attributed to lack of funds and security challenges are being handled by various contractors are situated in the northeast.
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Meanwhile, NAIJ.com previously reported that the minister of Niger Delta affairs, Usani Uguru Usani, disclosed that the Buhari government was making a fresh loan application to increase its initial $500m Chinese loan to $774m, in order to complete the East-west road in the Niger Delta.
Usani gave the update to newsmen at the State House, at the end of the federal executive council meeting on Wednesday, May 31.
He said: "No administration, to the best of my knowledge, within a democratic setting, has been more committed than this present government. And demonstration in this is the action of this administration to go ahead and seek extra budgetary special loan, credit from China to the tune of $500m."
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Source: Naija.ng