On February 25th, 2021, Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, invited his Bayelsa counterpart, Douye Diri, to flag off the construction of a 2.8km Shafa Roundabout-Sango-Old Airport project, coined as ‘Kaura City,’ promising that he had no reason to abandon the project.
Three years and six months later, the residents of the area, who live about two kilometres away from the seat of power – Bauchi Government House – have to bear the brunt of dust, mud, and other environmental hazards posed by the abandoned roads.
Although the project was awarded as a public-private partnership (PPP) at the cost of N4.8bn and is being handled by KK Kingdom Engineering Company, the company has only built part of the drainage, which staggered from 2021 to December 2023, with nothing done on the road since January 2024.
Residents of the area have to hold their breath or put on a face mask while using the road. Our reporter observed that erosion has eroded the major part of the laterite laid, making it unusable for the people.
Mr. Abdulkareem Ibrahim, a resident, pleaded with the government to remember the area and save them from the health hazards of the road.
“We are aware that the government has awarded about 30 roads after it flagged off the construction of this road,” he said.
“ This road is very important. Apart from that, they should think about our health. Those who are asthmatic are having it more difficult to stay in their houses.”
Mrs. Amina Abubakar, a shop owner who sells groceries, has lost most of her customers due to the deplorable condition of the road.
“First, the bike men and keke riders are always reluctant to follow this way; if they do, they overcharge. The economic activities here are being affected. We now record low patronage because of this road. One side of the road is abandoned, and many trucks have been stuck here,” she said.
Meanwhile, in July 2024, the Commissioner for Works and Transport, Ibrahim Gambo Galadima, while rolling out the achievements of the Mohammed administration since 2019 at the State Ministerial Briefing, said that the project was not captured under the works being done by the ministry.
When asked about the progress of the work, Galadima said that the ministry could not account for a project it did not award.
Meanwhile, The Guardian reliably gathered from an official of the ministry that the governor had earlier this year summoned the contractor to a meeting in an effort to review the contract agreement and possibly transfer it to another construction company, but KK Kingdom shunned the meeting.
“They are feeling big. They were invited to a meeting, but to our surprise, they didn’t show up. If you notice, His Excellency has refused to give them another road project to handle,” the source said.
