3 months after, FCTA yet to start work on 4 ‘awarded’ rural roads

Three months after the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) announced the awarding of the contract for the construction of four feeder roads in Kwali Area Council, work is yet to commence on any of them. Aso Chronicle reports that the Minister of State for the FCT, Hajia Ramatu Tijani Aliyu, had during the two years […]

Three months after the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) announced the awarding of the contract for the construction of four feeder roads in Kwali Area Council, work is yet to commence on any of them.

Aso Chronicle reports that the Minister of State for the FCT, Hajia Ramatu Tijani Aliyu, had during the two years in office anniversary of the Chairman of Kwali, Danladi Chiya, on August 6, announced that the FCTA had awarded contract for the construction of four feeder roads in his council: Kwaita-Yebu; Pai-Gudoro; Dafa-Koroko and Yangoji-Ckukuku.

• Bandits impose levies on Sokoto communities, issue ultimatum for payment
• FIFA bans Nigerian coach for attempted match-fixing

However, a visit by Aso Chronicle to the roads over the weekend revealed that construction work is yet to commence on any of them.

Residents who spoke with our reporter said they were not aware of the contract for the construction of the roads had been awarded.

A resident of Kwaita, Shuaibu Aliyu, said there were high expectations among residents to see that the deplorable road was fixed.

Aliyu who noted that the majority of the inhabitants were farmers, said, “You can see that we are almost at the peak of the dry season as some farmers have started harvesting their crops, but the bad state of the road is the major challenge.”

A resident of Pai, Saidu Usman, “I was there during the two years anniversary of the council chairman and book presentation where the minister said they had awarded four rural road projects, but unfortunately, work has not commenced.”

Other residents who spoke with our reporter hoped that the road projects would not be the usual government promises.

Aso Chronicle recalls that the contract for the Kwaita-Yebu Road was first awarded in 2005 by the FCT Minister, Malam Nasir el-Rufai, to the indigenous Abdek Engineering Construction Company, but the company rehabilitated only six kilometres of the road which links over 50 villages.

Residents of the area, including a former councillor, Aliyu Abednego, wrote to the National Assembly about the road.

However, former FCT ministers: Aliyu Modibbo Umar, Adamu Aliero and Bala Mohammed, did not do much on the road.

Reacting, the Information Officer of Kwali, Mr Emmanuel Habila, said, “The council has written to the minister to remind her about the road projects, and I believe work will commence in no distance time.”

However, effort to get the minister’s reaction yielded no result.