Abdulrazaq Mungadi, Gombe

The Federal Government of Nigeria has given an explanation on why the completion of the reconstruction of a section of Gombe to Yola road has been delayed.

According to the Minister of State (Federal Ministry of Works and Housing (FMWH), Engr Abubakar Aliyu, the reconstruction of the 11 kilometres road linking Cham in Gombe and Numan in Adamawa states was delayed because a portion of the savannah swamp area has bad and soft soil which has to be evacuated, replaced and refilled.

“We are seriously working on it and the procurement process has gone far and about to be completed. If we want to do politics with it, we would have rushed to complete it and it will later collapse; but we want to deliver a qualitative job for Nigerians,” the minister said.

The minister, speaking during the media inspection visit to the rehabilitation site, restated the Federal Government’s committed to delivering qualitative roads “that will stand the test of time for Nigerians to enjoy the benefit for a long-lasting time.”

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Engr Aliyu added: “The administration is also showing strong determination to fulfil the promises in other sectors, such as housing, rails, and others.”

He revealed that the increase in the budget of his ministry from N19 billion to N200 billion was an indication of the commitment of the Buhari administration to road infrastructure.

The Federal Controller of Works, Engr Salihu Abubakar, on his part said that the frequent farmers-herders clashes are a factor responsible for the delay in completing the Cham–Numan section of the Gombe–Yola road.

He explained that the contractor had carried out emergency repairs of critical failed sections of the road in the last quarter of 2019, adding that the contractor is presently on-site working. “And the weather is favourable and over 4,250 direct and indirect jobs have been created through the project,” Abubakar stated.