By Sylvanus Viashima,
Jalingo (Precise Post) – After decades of negligence that has cost several lives and lost in property a d time on the Numan-Jalingo road in Northeast Nigeria, there is hope of respite as Federal government has approved N3 billion from Sukuk fund to ensure resumption and quick completion of the road project.
Alhaji Muazu Sambo, Minister for state works and Housing disclosed this on Friday night after an inspection of Federal roads under construction within Taraba and Adamawa states.
He said that the fund would be released to the contractor handling the job anytime between June and July and hopes it would go a long way in executing the project.
The minister warned the contractor handling the work to wake up to the expectations of completing the road timely or risk revocation of the contract for a more serious contractor.
The minister also visited the site of the construction company (DEUX Construction Nigeria Limited) located at Numan town in Adamawa to ascertain the capability of the company to deliver on the contract.
He said after the tour that, he identified paucity of funds on the part of government due to Covid- 19 which locked down the whole world .
The minister therefore warned the contractor to be more serious when funds would be released in the next few days or loose the contract to a more competent construction company.
The Jalingo Numan road was awarded in March 2017 at the cost of over Eleven Billion Naira to be completed in July 2019.
Our correspondent who was on the inspection tour reports that only about eleven kilometers out of 103.5 klm of the project, representing about seven percent has been done nearly three years after the elapse of the initial project lifespan.
Frank Kohshola, the company’s sight Engineer while speaking told newsmen that only N1.5 Billion was given to the company after award of the contract since 2017, and blamed insecurity and lack of funds and construction materials for the slow pace of the work.
Mrs Maria Zira, Engineer supervising the work from Federal ministry of Works and Housing, Yola Field Office said that the company had submitted two certificates of non rejection but payment was still pending.
Zira also identified insecurity as one of the factors that militated against the execution of the work.
