Road Tax Credit Scheme: BUA Group Commences Construction of N116bn Kano-Kazaure Dual Carriage Way

Goddy Egene

BUA Group, one of Africa’s largest infrastructure conglomerates, has commenced the expansion and dualisation of the 132km Kano-Kazaure-Kongolam highway in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing under the federal government’s Road Infrastructure Tax Policy.

The N116 billion project was flagged off by the Minister for Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola, in a ceremony in Kazaure, Jigawa State and would pass through Kano, Jigawa, and Katsina states from Dawanau Roundabout in Kano State to Kongolam in Katsina State. According to the Minister, BUA Group would be the sole financier of the project to dualise the 132 km road as part of its ongoing commitment to infrastructure development.

Speaking at the official ceremony, the Group Executive Director of BUA Group, Kabiru Rabiu, was quoted in a statement yesterday, to have said BUA remained committed to partnering with the government on critical projects and initiatives that would fast-track human, social, and infrastructural development across the country.

According to Rabiu, BUA Group, which is solely financing the project, had already mobilised equipment to site and has the capacity, expertise, and resources to complete the road on schedule.

He also thanked President Muhammadu Buhari and the Honourable Minister of Works and Housing for approving the project and restated the Group’s commitment to delivering a dual carriage road that will rank amongst the best in Africa.

He said: “The dualisation project solely financed by BUA Group is a demonstration of our commitment to infrastructural development within Nigeria. This, of course, will positively impact the economy and partnering with the Federal Ministry of Works & Housing is an indication that private-public partnership is a viable means to achieving sustainable development.”

Also speaking, the Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola, reiterated the commitment of the Buhari-led administration towards infrastructural development.

According to Fashola, the N116 billion Kano-Kongolam highway which was being constructed by BUA Group with allied infrastructure, would complement the ongoing rail infrastructure projects of the federal government in the north-west region of Nigeria, and also open up more economic opportunities for Nigeria and the greater West African region.

Fashola further stated that the best way to develop the country was through Public Community Private Partnership, (PCPP) given the N348 trillion injection needed over a 10-year period to bridge the nation’s infrastructure gap.

Fashola further applauded the management of BUA Group for its continuous effort in infrastructural development and emphasised the need for the state governors of Jigawa, Kano and Katsina and traditional institutions to remove all encumbrances on the Right-of-Way of the project so as to allow the Contractor have full access to the width of the carriageway for the continued execution of the project for which implementation has already commenced.

On this part, the Project Director, Mohammad Rabiu, said: “It’s a very big project that traverses the 3 states of Kano, Jigawa and Katsina states. The project will further open up the country by enabling access to neighbouring countries i.e. Niger Republic via Katsina State.

“The road, when completed, will feature three bridges – Ungoggo Roundabout, Kazaure and Daura. These also include pedestrian crossings at eight locations along the project corridor and solar street lights for safe driving during nighttime.”

The expanded Kano-Kongolam dual carriage highway upon completion, would connect three states namely: Kano, Jigawa, and Katsina and improve interstate travel, make it easier to trade goods and services between the three states, and serve as a major artery for intra-African trade.