From zero, Kano now awaits completion of 4 flyovers

Many had yearned for over head bridges in strategic locations in the city as a way of easing the traffic trouble. The prayers seem to be answered as four flyovers are being constructed across the state metropolis.    The flyovers under construction will connect Radio Kano area to Ibrahim Taiwo Road, Murtala Mohammed Way to […]

Many had yearned for over head bridges in strategic locations in the city as a way of easing the traffic trouble. The prayers seem to be answered as four flyovers are being constructed across the state metropolis.
   The flyovers under construction will connect Radio Kano area to Ibrahim Taiwo Road, Murtala Mohammed Way to Triumph Newspapers and the popular Silver Jubilee (from Kofar Nassarawa to Audu Bako Secretariat).
The three are being built by the Kano State government under Engineer Musa Kwankwaso administration. Yet the state government says before it rounds off on May 29, 2015 it will construct two more. These two will be an underground at Kofar Kabuga, a notorious heavy traffic area and Gadon Kaya.
Our correspondent reports that the fourth one is being built by the Federal Government at the Gyadi-Gyadi area of the state.
Both federal and Kano State governments are competing over the projects as observed by motorists. “The rate at which the projects are going is encouraging,” they say.
When completed, Kano, the centre of commerce in northern Nigeria, will enter the league of states with flyovers. This development is generating mixed reactions from commuters. While some commend the government, others, especially those in the political circles are saying “flyovers are no priority in the state”.
Road users who spoke to Daily Trust described the construction of the flyovers as timely even as they expressed fears over their completion as the tenure of the present administration lapses next year.  
On their part, professionals in road management are of the view that the flyovers will boost the state’s economy. “Because spending an hour in traffic scares investors away. For example, if a customer can spend an hour in traffic, he may not want to patronise the state,” Inuwa Zakari Abdullahi, a Road Safety officer said. He said free movement will attract tourists and more investors.
With less than one year to the end of Kwankwaso’s tenure and looking at level of the projects, motorists express fears that the projects may not be completed. “It’s practically impossible for him [Kwankwaso] to finish all the flyovers he started before May 29th 2015 when his tenure will end,” a politician who gave his name as Abdullahi said.
This fear stems from what happened when the late Abubakar Rimi was governor. Rimi left behind big projects like the World Market at Farm Centre and the Kano Investment House at Kofar Nassarawa. The Kano Investment House was completed during Kwankwaso’s first tenure, two decades after Rimi’s administration.
Experience shows that politicians always want to be associated with projects they initiated and completed, rather than to complete the ones initiated by their predecessors. In fact, sometimes they do not care to complete those they initiated. They are contented by merely starting them.
A Kano resident, Alhaji Ahmad Musa, said, “If kwankwaso makes mistake and leaves office without finishing all the projects he started especially the flyovers, it’s like he closing all the road networks in Kano. I get angry whenever I find myself in Farm Centre because of the abandoned projects there. We hope that things like this will never happen again in Kano. He should make sure he commissions these flyovers before he vacates office otherwise he himself will regret it.”
Bello Aliyu, a motorist, said “Flyovers are highly needed in Kano to meet the demands of increasing population which our existing road network cannot. The serious challenge is if the incumbent governor can’t finish them before the end of his tenure. The project might face a serious setback due to lack of continuity in our governance no matter how important projects are to the people.”