President Muhammadu Buhari has intervened in the abandoned Suleja-Minna dual carriage way, directing the foreign firm handling the multi-billion Naira road reconstruction project to return to site immediately.
Also, the president has ordered that the construction of the road which by initial contractual agreement was to terminate a few kilometres after Gurara waterfalls in Gurara council of Niger State to extend to Minna, the state capital.
The foreign construction firm handling the Suleja-Minna road construction had for fear that the political situation in Nigeria could turn sour moved out of site shortly after the 2015 general election that brought Muhammadu Buhari into office.
Niger State Commissioner for Works, Alhaji Abdulmalik Usman Cheche, disclosed this to newsmen after the state executive council meeting. He said that Buhari has directed the contractor handling the project to return to site.
“The cheering news I have for you is that President Muhammad Buhari has directed the contractor handling the Suleja – Minna road to return to site. I got this information from the permanent secretary, Federal Ministry of Works, who sent me a text message when the minister could not reach me on phone”.
The action of the president, the commissioner explained, was a reaction to the outcry from the public and Niger State government over the dilapidated nature of the road which has also become death trap causing loss of many lives.
While appreciating the gesture of the federal government in directing that the contractor returns to site, the commissioner however expressed the hope that the contractor would respect the Presidential directive by immediately returning to work.
Cheche also pleaded with the federal government to complete work on the Minna- Kaduna road, which, according to him, if completed would reduce the pressure on the Suleja – Minna road and as well reduce the period it takes to get to Kaduna from Minna via Suleja by one hour.
Meanwhile, as part of its rural roads development efforts of the Sani Bello-led administration, Niger State government has announced the construction of a section of the Kagara-Kaduna road at the cost of N 328 million.
The state government had also awarded the contract for the renovation of police barracks damaged by rainstorm during the last rainy season, Cheche said, adding that the barracks’ renovation contract would cost the state government roughly N80 million.
