Distressed motorists and residents in 14 northern states have taken the plight of the deplorable state of federal roads to President Bola Tinubu and the minister of works, Engr David Umahi.
An investigation by LEADERSHIP in the 19 northern states showed that contracts for abandoned highway projects were awarded way back to the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
Others were awarded 10 years ago and abandoned halfway by the administrations of former President Goodluck Jonathan and his successor, Muhammadu Buhari.
Except for Borno State, whose report was not available as of the time of compiling this report last night, other states covered have between two and 10 abandoned or deplorable road projects.
However, four states - Kaduna, Kebbi, Taraba, and Zamfara - have the fewest abandoned roads, while Kwara State has the highest number of road projects being executed by the federal government under the Tinubu presidency.
In Katsina State, there are few federal roads in deplorable conditions, with most requiring urgent rehabilitation.
The Katsina-Kano Road, awarded for dualisation by the previous administration, remains uncompleted, halted at Gidan Mutun Daya.
The Mararaba Kankara-Kankara Town Road is currently under rehabilitation, but other critical routes are either in disrepair or occupied by terrorists, making travel perilous.
The Funtua-Sheme Highway has been in a state of disrepair for an extended period, exacerbated by frequent kidnappings in the area.
Similarly, the Dutsinma-Kankara Highway, although well-maintained, has become a danger zone due to bandits ambushing motorists and whisking them away to Rugu Forest.
In Zamfara State, the Jibiya to Kaura Namoda highway, once considered a safe and direct route connecting Katsina and Zamfara states, has been abandoned due to rampant banditry.
In 2020, the state government declared it a no-go area, barring motorists from using the route due to the high risk of attacks.
In Niger State, almost all federal roads are in bad shape, with some taken over by the state government.
The Suleja-Minna road has been under construction for over 10 years, abandoned by the contractor for three years before resumption of works about two years ago. Even at that, LEADERSHIP's findings revealed that the state government had taken over the responsibility of constructing the remaining parts of the road from Kakaki in Paikoro local government to Minna, the state capital, due to slow pace of work.
Similarly the Agaie-Bida portion of the Lambata-Bida road is still in bad shape despite the award of contracts about five years ago, the same thing Mokwa-Jebba, Mokwa-Bokani-Tegina and Minna-Tegina-Kontagora roads.
Niger State government has also recently taken over the construction of the Kontagora-Rijau road from the federal government, as the contractor abandoned the road for years.
Similarly, the planned Minna-Sarikin Pawa road started by the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo has been abandoned for 20 years while it is not clear whether the contract for Mokwa-New Bussa roads, now in a dilapidated state, was awarded.
Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago has been emphatic that his government will continue to intervene where necessary and wait for a refund from the federal government.
Attempts to get the state controller of work was abortive, but a senior officer who prefers anonymity said the slow pace of work and outright abandonment of roads were due to funding issues.
In Plateau State, Jos-Akwanga, Bauchi to Gombe, and Panbegwa roads in Kaduna state which pass through Saminaka to Jingir and Vom Manchok roads, among others, are federal roads that had been long abandoned and in need of urgent intervention.
Besides, the Forest Hawan-Kibo road to Jos, although it received some intervention last year, needs to be dualised to maximise its potential as one major route connecting the north-eastern part of Nigeria.
At the moment, these roads are death-traps for commuters, a den of armed robbers and kidnappers, who lay siege to the bad sections of the roads, waiting for unsuspecting motorists to attack.
According to the former chairman of NTA Motor Park in Jos, Alhaji Maikudi, for over 20 years now, the deplorable state of the Jos-Kaduna and many other highways has forced motorists to find alternative routes between the two cities.
LEADERSHIP learned that four construction companies were awarded the contract for rehabilitating these roads in March 2020.
The federal controller of Works, Engr. Abubakar Majin, said the government is doing its best to ensure the maintenance of these roads but is constrained by the paucity of funds.
He maintained that COVID-19 lockdown did not help matters as it made it difficult for the government to get those working on the road to site.
Our correspondent's investigation also revealed that contractors handling the rehabilitation works on these roads have left the site, and motorists consistently groan about the poor condition of these roads.
According to a source from FERMA, whose name will not be mentioned because he is not permitted to speak, said: "Currently, the 2023 appropriation, the projects earmarked for Plateau State have been concluded; we did some pothole patching works along the Jos -Jingri road, Jos-Heipang-Barkin Ladi road, Jos-Bauchi Road and a host of others."
Besides, Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang had earlier, at a media parley with Journalists at the New Government House, expressed joy over the planned rehabilitation work by the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) on the Heipang to Shendam and Lafia Pandam, Kurgwi road to Langtang areas.
"I have been informed that very soon FERMA will start rehabilitation of Heipang, down to Shendam and to Langtang axis; that is just patching of potholes towards damage limitation," he stated
"We will be pursuing the dualisation of that road, Heipang-Shendam, Pandam-Langtang and we hope we will get the corporation of the Federal government in that regard, he said.
In Jigawa State, there are seven federal roads, five of which are under reconstruction, but all the construction firms had abandoned the sites.
The abandoned roads include Kano Shuwarin road, Kwanar Dumawa- Babura- Babban Mutum road, Gaya-ahun Kafin Hausa road, Kano- Kazaure-Daura Road and Kano- Gumel- Malam Madori - Hadejia roads.
The work at Hadejia-Unguru road and Shuwarin Azare road was completed and handed over to the federal government.
The abandoned projects were awarded at different times, such as Gaya--Jahun Kafin, for which the contract started over 17 years ago. Currently, the work at the site has not reached 17 kilometres.
However, all efforts to get a reaction from the Federal Control Works in charge of Jigawa State were abortive as his did not pick calls to his phone, and his text message did not go through.
Our correspondent can report that five federal government-owned roads believed to be strategic to the movement of commuters, goods, and services to other parts of the country are in deplorable conditions in Nasarawa State.
They include Wamba-Wanse, Akwanga-Jos-Bauchi-Gombe, Keffi-Nasarawa-Toto, Keffi-Kaduna and Lafia-Shendam respectively.
An investigation by LEADERSHIP revealed that contracts for the rehabilitation and outright reconstruction of some of the affected roads were awarded by the federal government at different times but abandoned at some point.
In late 2014, Messers Uniglobe Construction Engineering Limited was awarded the contract for the construction of the 49-kilometre Wamba-Wanse road, linking Nasarawa to Plateau state. With contract number 6258, the project which commenced on 24th January 2015 and expected to be completed on 29th June 2019 at the cost of US $39.7m.
However, about nine years down the line, the project is yet to successfully take off, dashing the hope of benefiting communities along the route.
Unlike the Wamba-Wanse road, which is a new construction, the Keffi-Keffi-Nasarawa-Toto road was a rehabilitation. But like the latter, it was also abandoned after its contract was awarded.
Findings by LEADERSHIP indicated that the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved N36.130 billion for rehabilitating the 118.9km road in April, 2022 under the immediate past administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
There is nothing to show for the job, with a project code of ERGP12174243 awarded to M/c Wizchino Engineering Ltd three years later, even though the firm has since abandoned the site altogether.
Despite the anomaly fund has continued to be allocated to the project as check by our correspondent has shown.
In July 2022, Wizchino Engineering Limited was paid N179.5m for the job. Similarly, in 2023, N200m was allocated to the project.
Like the Keffi-Nasarawa-Toto project, that of Lafia-Shendam in Plateau State was tagged general maintenance/repairs. It is overseen by the Federal Road Maintenance Agency since 2009 but the road has remained in deplorable condition.
Report by a popular national television, TVC, indicated that between 2021 to 2023, the sum of N360 million was allegedly released to four different contractors for the job.
"Statistics from the Open Treasury Platform and BudgIT reveal that, in March 2023 the Federal Government through FERMA paid the sum of N78m to Classic Marvel Nigeria Limited for general maintenance repairs.
"In August 2022, the sum of 122 million naira was paid by FERMA to Quantum Mechanics Limited for rehabilitation of the road.
"In the months of June and October 2021 a total sum of N134 million naira was paid by FERMA to Mainstream Contractors Nigeria for the emergency repairs of the road and in July the same year the sum of N32m was paid to Sahar Continental Limited for maintenance," the report alleged.
However, the road remained in a deplorable state with yawning potholes which constitute threats to motorists along the route.
Despite its state, funds are still being appropriated for the project. Our correspondent gathered that N410 million was earmarked for the project, with a project code, ERGP12207492 in 2024.
For the 420.6 kilometre Akwanga-Jos-Bauchi-Gombe road, the Federal Executive Council approved N348.5 billion for its expansion in August, 2018.
According to then minister of power, works and housing, Babatunde Fashola, the project had a contract duration of 48 months. However, six years after, the project has not commenced.
Controller Works in the Federal Ministry of Works in the state, Engineer Daikwo Idah, confirmed that Wamba-Wanse, Keffi-Nasarawa-Toto, Nasarawa-Loko and Lafia Bypass roads were under the direct supervision of his ministry.
He attributed the setback to the non-payment of contractors, poor budgetary provisions, and wrong design benchmarks.
Due to the government's negligence, federal highways linking Bauchi and other states have become death traps for road users.
Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) data indicate that in 2021, about 413 people died and 2,157 others sustained various degrees of injuries. The figures were recorded from about 480 crashes on Bauchi federal highways.
In 2022, about 110 people were killed in about 266 fatal crashes while 1,022 people were variously injured. Similarly, in 2023, about 204 passengers died from January to September this year in Bauchi while 679 were injured to various degrees.
These accidents were recorded on deplorable federal highways in Bauchi.
For instance, the Bauchi-Gombe Expressway has become completely deplorable and unfriendly to motorists. The 157km stretch of road inflicts damage to vehicles, leaving drivers and car owners with no option but to spend valuable resources to mend their cars.
For two consecutive years, two bridges at Bara and Kaljanga communities along the road were cut off, forcing drivers to take longer routes either way. As a result, passengers were made to pay exorbitant fares.
The Bauchi-Jos Road has been a major headache for road users because of its deplorable condition. Also, the Bauchi-Kano highway is another bad road that constitutes a stumbling block to road users.
While the Bauchi-Maiduguri road appears to be fairly good, portholes are already dotting the road, thereby threatening the safety and well-being of people who use it.
Recently, the Bauchi State Government reconstructed parts of the Bauchi-Kano and Bauchi-Maiduguri roads, but what was done did not cover the entire stretch of the roads.
The only federal road in Sokoto state that has been in bad shape for years is the Gusau--Sokoto federal highway, which links Zamfara to Sokoto state.
However, palliative reconstruction on some portion of the highway with two bridges on the Zamfara side occurred during the administration of former Governors Aminu Waziri Tambuwal of Sokoto state and Abdulaziz Yari of Zamfara state.
However, the current administration is reconstructing the road, this time with concrete pavement starting from the Sokoto end of the highway.
Officials of the Sokoto State Ministry of Works, who spoke to our correspondent on the condition of anonymity, applauded the federal government for embarking on total reconstruction of the highway and further advocated effective supervision and timely completion of the job, according to specifications.
The Gombe-Yola Highway, first awarded in 1999 by President Olusegun Obasanjo, was abandoned for many years, and work periodically began slowly.
The 66.10 kilometre Gombe-Yola Highway, still under construction, has become a nightmare for motorists and commuters for years.
The reconstruction work was awarded in 2014 but couldn't commence until 2015, when technical issues associated with the project were fixed. The road project was supposed to have been completed in 2019. Still, insufficient budgetary provisions and release of funds, as well as the COVID-19 pandemic, made it difficult to complete it at the stipulated time for former minister Isa Ali Ibrahim.
In Yobe State, the section of the dual carriage road that links the International Airport in Damaturu, Yobe State, and the construction of a 25.5-kilometre dual carriageway connecting Damaturu, the capital of Yobe State, to the international airport in the state, have stalled.
The residents said they are exposed to hazards throughout their daily activities. Some of the residents who spoke to LEADERSHIP in Damaturu, said in 2018, the Yobe State Government awarded N4.9 billion for road construction to Rick Rock Construction Limited, a Plateau-based company.
In Kaduna State, the only federal road that seemed abandoned before the present minister recently assured that work would resume is the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano highway.
The Minister of Works, Engr. David Umahi, disclosed last Tuesday at a meeting with contractors in Abuja that work on the highway will resume this week.
On why it was paused, he explained that it was due to disagreements over price variations, delays, and funding challenges between the government and the contractors. He, however, said that the ministry had resolved the outstanding challenges with the contractors handling the project.
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He said President Tinubu is committed to delivering road projects across Nigeria.
Two dilapidated abandoned federal roads in Taraba state are the Wukari-Jalingo highway and Jalingo-Numan federal road.
Though the Wukari-Jalingo, with its dilapidated condition, has not been awarded by the federal government, the Jalingo-Numan federal road was awarded to Deux Project Nig. Ltd in 2017 at the cost of N11bn to be completed in 20 months.
The FERMA office, located at Nukai along Jalingo Wukari road, discovered that the controller was out of the state for an official visit to Abuja.
Taraba State Governor Agbu Kefas recently promised to take over the construction of some federal roads to ease the people's sufferings.
In Zamfara State, most of the federal roads are in good condition with the exception of about 80-kilometre Magami-Dangulbi-Dankurmi to Anka federal roads, the contract of which was awarded by the previous administration of Governor Abdulaziz Yari Abubakar.
The contracts for the construction of the federal roads, which were awarded in the year 2016, could not be completed due to constant attacks by the bandits and kidnapping of the workers f the company.
On the other hand, however, the contract for the construction of about 132.7 kilometre Gusau - Dansadau - Birnin Gwari border federal roads, which was initially planned for construction by the previous administration of Governor Abdulaziz Yari Abubakar administration, to be awarded to a Chinese company could not be executed till the tenure of the administration ended.
Kebbi State has 10 federal roads; of them, only two were abandoned. The remaining eight were in good shape, which the federal government, through Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA), usually repaired.
Sometimes, the state government will rehabilitate them and later get refunded them by the federal government.
Currently, there are two abandoned federal roads in the state, Malando-Warrah- Ngaski and Koko-Mahuta-Dabai Federal roads.
The present administration of Governor Nasir Idris Kauran Gwandu has taken a bold step to reconstruct them and later get reimbursed by the federal government.
FG Executing 18 Road Projects In Kwara
Meanwhile, the federal government is currently executing 18 road projects in Kwara State, LEADERSHIP has gathered.
The roads under construction include the 42.5-kilometre Eiyenkorin-Afon-Ojoku-Offa-Odo Otin, Lafiagi-Shonga-Bacita (74.3km); Bode Saadu-Kaiama-Kosubosu(128km), and Okuta-Gwanara-Bukuro (37km).
The contractors are on site for construction work to deliver the projects at the stipulated times.
However, contractors have stopped work on two federal roads in the state. The roads are the Ilorin--Omu-Aran-Egbe-Kabba road, which had been covered for a few kilometres, and the Share-Patigi road, which was awarded in 2017.
The two roads pose dangers to commuters' lives as the damaged portions of the roads have become death traps.
The minister of works, David Umahi, during a recent visit to Ilorin, said the ministry had 18 federal projects in Kwara State, saying more efforts will go into some of them that are deemed to be behind their implementation schedules.
"We are going to engage with the governor, commissioner for works, the federal controller of works, and the ministry, and review the projects and give them priorities," Umahi said.
"Four projects are ongoing on tax credit with BUA in Kwara. They have assured me that these projects will be delivered soon. They are all government projects under President Tinubu. They are not social service projects from the company. We are the one funding them under a different funding mechanism," the minister stated.
