Niger Begins Reconstruction of Minna Township Roads

Laleye Dipo in Minna

Niger State Government has begun the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the township roads in Minna, the state capital, under the administration’s urban renewal programme.

The state Governor, Alhaji Mohammed Umaru Bago, performed the flag-off yesterday during which he said the administration would inject over N1 trillion into infrastructural development across the state in the next two years.

The governor said 1,500 kilometres of road would be rehabilitated/ reconstructed throughout the state out of which 202 km are to be attended to in Minna, pointing out that the inauguration of the completed road projects will commence within the next two years

Bago disclosed that under the Urban Renewal Programme the Minna City gate would now be moved to few kilometres from Paiko while the other gate would be taken to Beji.

The governor disclosed that contract has been awarded for the construction of the Minna-Tegina road while plans are on for the award of the contract for the Kontagora-Rijau road, adding that these federal roads will be constructed by the state and refund got from the federal government under the ‘Tax Credit’ policy of the administration.

The governor charged  youths in the state to take advantage of the road projects to gainfully engage themselves as materials and human capital will be sourced locally by the construction company, adding that the government will also provide soft loans to petty traders that will ply their trade at the construction sites.

The state Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Mr. Suleiman Umar, in his address said the project consisted of 22 different roads categorised into two phases with phase one covering eight roads while phase two will cover 14 roads, adding that the project will have five interchanges and flyovers at strategic locations and new roads as a bye pass that will open up the state capital.

Describing the project as “one of the most ambitious urban development projects in the history of this state,” Umar stressed that the ministry would provide the needed monitoring and supervisory functions to ensure timely completion of the projects.