Tag: road

  • Motorists Groan as Bad Spots on Ganaja Road Causes Night Mare

    Motorists Groan as Bad Spots on Ganaja Road Causes Night Mare

    From Noah Ocheni, Lokoja

    Motorists plying the Lokoja to the eastern flank of the country via Ajaokuta road remained impassable since Sunday, 21 August 2022.

    The gridlock according to our correspondent was caused by a bad portion of the road that made two trucks conveying flour stucked in the middle of the road leading to breakdown of a vehicles.

    As at the time of visit to the scene, it was gathered men of the FRSC were battling to control the traffic and how to rescue the stucked trucks.

    The ganaja road being the gate way to the Eastern part of Nigeria, has remained in a decrepit state since 2012 when the flood ravaged the state.

    Motorists have described the route as a night mare as they are made to be regular visitors to the mechanic workshops as a result of the unrepaired state of Ganaja road.

    The road was recently awarded by the federal government, unfortunately, the Contractors abandoned site before the end of last year.

    In the past the remedial efforts of previous state government has helped in maintaining the road until recently when the state government said it was no longer interested in the repair more alleging that Ganaja community did not support the present administration.

    All efforts by our correspondent to get to the Federal Controller on efforts to make the road motorable was not possible as he could not be reached.

  • Residents kick over 40 year old dilapidated road in Uyo

    Residents kick over 40 year old dilapidated road in Uyo

    Residents of Udo Otung Uboh lane in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital have expressed displeasure over the bad state of the street which has remained unconstructed for over 40 years.

    According to residents of the area who described the street as the worst in Uyo, the less than 1km road connecting two prominent streets, Kelvin and Udo Otung Uboh streets has not also witnessed any vehicular traffic for 20 years.

    This is because it had been eaten by gully erosion by more than five metres in some places while small trees grow on the middle amidst tall shrubs with nasty smelling stagnant polls of water dotting every inch of the street.

    According to Michael Essien, not only has no vehicle driven on the street for over 20 years, dangerous reptiles have taken abode on it making it risky on foot especially during the rainy season.

    “This road has been like this even before Akwa Ibom state was created. It is bad to the extent that no government regime has ever come to aid this community in the construction of this road.

    “Over 20 years now, no vehicle has entered this road but as a Community through our little collective effort always ensure that the road is walkable. We are appealing to the government and its agencies to come to our aid.

    “During this rainy season, the whole area including people’s houses and shops are always flooded with water, thereby leaving some houses and shops unoccupied and useless.

    “Therefore,we beg the government to please come and rescue us in this situation so as to bring development to the area.There was a time ministry of Works Came to inspect the road and ever since then we have not heard the outcome of their Inspection.

    According to another resident, Udeme Ikpat,” this road has been like this even before Obasanjo’s regime, when we had Obong Victor Attah as the then governor of Akwa Ibom state.

    “I met a young man who recounted his encounter with Ephraim Inyang-eyin, who was the Commissioner of works. He said a letter was written to him and then stamped giving them the assurance that the road will be Constructed. But unfortunately for him,when he left the state for a course, another extension of the road was being constrcted instead of the Udotung Uboh lane. So since then,the road has not been constructed.

    “Over 40 years now, no government is interested in constructing this road. This road would have been constructed during Nsima Ekere’s tenure as the NDDC boss. He wanted to construct this road but due to some circumstances he could not do it.

    “Why I said NDDC would have constructed this road is that Brown street is smaller than Odutung Uboh lane, yet it was constructed. Many landlords and tenants have evacuated this area as a result of flood.

    “I am a carpenter but due to the bad condition of this road nobody recognises the existence of a carpenter in this area. My shop is empty and I am always stranded because this is my only source of income. We have lost so many of our properties. Our documents have been damaged because of flood.” Ikpat explained.

    Newsmen who visited the area weekend also discovered that due to neglect by successive government, many residents have made illegal encroachment on the road through indiscriminate building of parameter fences, houses and shops making it increasingly vulnerable to flooding and gully erosion.

    Observers are of the view that though Akwa Ibom State government has been commended for her effort on road construction despite harsh economic realities, the neglect of such roads within the metropolis would caste a dark cloud and overshadow efforts so far made in this direction.

  • Road infrastructure at institutions, research districts to be completed – FCT Minister

    Road infrastructure at institutions, research districts to be completed – FCT Minister

    By Joyce Remi- Babayeju

    FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello has given assurance road infrastructure at the Institutions and Research District of the Federal Capital City would soon be completed.

    Bello gave this assurance during a tour of the District on Monday, 30th of August 2021.

    The minister who was accompanied by the Permanent Secretary, FCTA Mr Olusade Adesola and other senior officials of the Administration, Malam Bello inspected on-going road construction works connecting several research and academic institutions within the District.

    Speaking after the tour, Malam Bello said that the visit of senior officials of the FCTA to the District was part of routine inspections of several construction sites within the city,  aimed at meeting  the mandate of President Muhammadu Buhari's  Administration on the provision of road and other infrastructure.

    According to the minister the tour was intended to enhance the security of the District which contains several government and private academic and research institutions such as the National War College, Baze University, Nigeria/Korea Model School, National Cancer Center, Institute of Human Virology, Federal Medical Center and the Headquarters complex of the EFCC amongst others.

    He said, “I’m here today with all the relevant agencies of the FCT Administration to physically inspect the scope of work and also to reassure all these institutions of government and private sector organizations that the FCT Administration, within the limit of available resources, will do its very best to make sure that these projects are funded, are properly supervised and also completed on time.”

    Ag. Executive Secretary of the FCDA, TPL Zaliha’u Ahmed, said that it was the intention of the FCT Administration to provide the needed road infrastructure in the District to enhance economic and social activities in the area.

  • FG approves N103.7bn for Benin-Ore Road, other projects

    FG approves N103.7bn for Benin-Ore Road, other projects

    The Federal Executive Council on Wednesday approved different contacts totalling N62.04bn at its weekly meeting presided over by the President Buhari

    The approved projects cut across the Ministry of Works and Housing, Ministry of the Federal Capital Territory and Ministry of Water Resources.

    One of such projects is the augmentation of the contract sum for Ajebandele-Shagamu Section of the Benin-Ore-Ajebandele Road.

    The Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, told State House correspondents at the end of the meeting that the redesigning of the road’s should and pavement necessitated the increase in contract sum.

    He said, “The redesigning of the shoulders and pavement provision necessitated a revised estimated total cost of N22.879bn to take the contract from original sum of N71.6bn to N92.5bn.

    The stretch involved is 99Km from Km162 to 261. Council approved that review of total estimated cost in favour of Messers RCC construction firm currently working there.”

    The minister said the council also approved the contract for the Akwanga-Keffi-Makurdi highway.

    Describing it as a sub-contract within the contract, Fashola said the contract was for the construction of a nine-way underground cable and telecommunication facility dock over the length of 255Km in the sum of N46.25bn.

    He added that the council approved a contract for an automation process for the issuance of certificate of occupancy in respect of Federal Government’s lands.

    The contract, he said, was in the sum of N976,037,330 in favour of IQ Systems with completion period of 10 months.‌

    He also mentioned the construction of 4×20 meters span bridge at Km18 along Langtang-Wase Road in Plateau State for N2.867bn.

    Minister of the FCT, Mohammed Bello, said the council approved all the five memoranda presented by ministry, including the review of the N19.5bn Southern Parkway project.

    He listed the approved projects to include contract for the provision of access road to open up sections of Institute and Research District, Abuja in the cost of N3,462,440,823.88; the construction of access road and car park for Abuja Light rail stations, Kagini Station, in the cost of N1,830,392,696.00; upward review of the contract sum for the construction of Southern Parkway from N16,234,553,335 to N35.7bn.

    Others are the contract for the rehabilitation of Bwari Law School Road in the cost of N1,466,334,591.34 and the construction of Kasce feeder road in Gwagwalada in the sum of N3,522,438,591.09.

    Minister of Water Resources, Suleiman Adamu, said the council approved

    two memoranda presented by his ministry.

    The first one, according to him, is the Fika-Gadaka Water Project in Yobe State with a revised estimated total cost of N555.15m while the second is the revision of the consultancy contract for the supervision of Gere Earth Dam in Katsina with augmentation of N310m.

  • A’Ibom blames COVID-19 for slow pace of work on road projects

    A’Ibom blames COVID-19 for slow pace of work on road projects

    By Samuel Ogenyi, Uyo

    The Akwa Ibom State Government has blamed the coronavirus pandemic for the slow pace of construction work on several road projects in the State.

    One of such roads, the dualisation of the 23.4 kilometre Eket-Etinan, whose contract was awarded by former Governor Godswill Akpabio has been stagnated for some months now after spirited efforts to recommence construction which was abandoned by the Akpabio administration.

    The outgone Commissioner for Works, Mr Ephraim Inyangeyen who is now the Chief of Staff to Governor Udom Emmanuel told newsmen in an interview in Uyo on Thursday that the pandemic has affected the economic fortunes of the state, forcing the work to drag on.

    He explained that other roads as well have been affected because of the economic downturn and increase in rainfall.

    “Are you aware of COVID-19 and its economic implications on the state, and don’t you know that they do no road construction under the rain? But why are you interested in just this road in the midst of all the roads?”

    Meanwhile, residents living within the affected areas and other Akwa Ibom people have lamented the delay on the completion of the road, wondering why some portions have been dualised, while work has not commenced on other sections.

    Mr Usen Akpan, an indigene of Ndiya in Nsit Ubium local government area said the construction of the Ndiya to Etinan axis of the road has since been abandoned.

    Akpan stated that since the road was graded, nothing has been done on the road, adding that some sections of the road have become impassable due to the rains.

    “There is need for two bridges linking Afaha Nsit to Ndiya, and Afaha Nsit to Etinan to be built because of the dualisation. The Ndiya section of the road leading to Etinan has only been graded and abandoned for some years now, nothing has been done about it.

    “There are many potholes at the Afaha Nsit axis area towards Ndiya, and it is making driving uncomfortable. In fact vehicles and motorcycles plying Afaha Nsit to Etinan have to resort to the use of Etinan Secretariat road as an alternative route, as the main road is still being constructed and we don’t know when it would be completed.” He said.