Bauchi  Community  Supports N10bn Road Construction

Segun Awofadeji in Bauchi

Ningi community has faulted the critics of Bauchi State Governor, Senator Bala Mohammed, for awarding the construction of 11-kilometre Ningi-Gudduba dual carriageway project at the cost of over N10 billion, saying it is justifiable and will boost the socio economic activities of the emirate.

Addressing a press conference in Ningi, yesterday, the Chairman of Ningi Grass Root Development Association, Mr. Yusuf Yunusa Danburam Ningi, who was flanked by hundreds sons and daughters of Ningi emirate, described the critics as noise makers who are bent on creating unnecessary tension in the state.

According to him, “our attention has been drawn on the uproar created by a former senator and former member of the House of Representatives over the N10.3 billion road construction awarded by the governor of Bauchi State.

“Those making the noise are ignorant of the project and they did not care to check for the facts rather they are doing it to create unnecessary tension, to get cheap publicity and to blackmail innocent God fearing citizen and patriots.”

He said that “the critics failed to check the design, to put the record straight the road is a dual carriage way is a two lane going and two lane back, separated by a concrete caves and drainage on both side of the road. Thus the road is about 22 kilometer long with concrete drainage 11 kilometer on both sides of the road, culverts and compensation.

“When you take all these into consideration, 1.0 kilometer may be somewhere around N500 million. Compare this with the federal government rate, which is much higher around N2.5 billion to N3.0 billion per kilometer.”

The chairman said that “not only the rate per kilometer for the federal government is N2.5 billion and N3.0 billion, the road in question (GSS Ningi- Gudduba) despite being double lane, and dual in nature making the total length to and fro to be 24 kilometers.

“The road is a federal highway and the best practices were applied in costing the construction and the supervision would be carried out jointly by state and Federal Government’s Engineers. The scope of the road construction includes hydrolics and provision of street lighting along the stretch of 24 kilometers.”

“In addition compensation will be paid to people whose houses and shop owners are on the road which if not act of sabotage one will appreciate the project.”

He said that the Ningi community are happy with the project and are ready to defend it because it would turn their town into urban city when completed.

The chairman said that most of the urban cities in the state have model roads except Ningi, and the people of Ningi agitated for the project for a long time until now that Allah destined the road to be constructed.

He said that when completed the road would reduce accident, and would make it easy for women, parents and children to take their wards to schools and hospitals.

Many speakers at the briefing, including representatives of youths, women, business men, politicians and scholars commended Governor Mohammed for awarding the project and assured that that when the project is completed it would boost the economic status and Ningi town in particular.