Nigeria: Gov Bala Mohammed Warns Against Delay in Flood, Erosion Project

Bauchi State governor, Bala Mohammed, has directed the contractor handling an ACReSAL flood and erosion control project to increase equipment and manpower to accelerate the pace of work.

The project covers a 15.2-kilometre corridor, including 3.2 kilometres of feeder channels, but has so far recorded only 7.2 per cent completion.

The intervention is being implemented within the same micro-catchment as several other projects under the Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL) programme.

During an inspection of the project yesterday, Bala Mohammed expressed dissatisfaction with the contractor's level of mobilisation, saying the project had adequate funding and should not be unnecessarily delayed.

He disclosed that the state government had already released 40 per cent of the contract sum, and urged the contractor to demonstrate greater commitment and capacity to execute the project.

The governor recalled that the project was initially conceived during the administration of former governor Ahmed Adamu Mu'azu, describing the current intervention as a major humanitarian undertaking aimed at protecting communities, particularly those located along riverbeds and other areas vulnerable to flooding and erosion.

Also, the ACReSAL Task Team Leader, Dr Joy Egena, commended the quality of work carried out so far but expressed concern over the slow pace of implementation.

Egena described the project as one of the largest ACReSAL interventions in terms of scope, scale and cost, stressing the need for the contractor to deploy additional equipment and manpower to close the implementation gap and meet the scheduled completion date.

Responding to the concerns, the contractor attributed the slow pace of work largely to the rainy season and assured the governor that mobilisation had commenced.

He said four teams would be deployed to work simultaneously on different sections of the project, with additional equipment and manpower to accelerate construction.

The contractor expressed confidence that the project would be completed by March or April.

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