The Minister of Works, David Umahi, has assured stakeholders in Niger State that work will soon resume on the long-delayed Bida-Lapai-Lambata road project.

Umahi gave the assurance on Thursday when he met a delegation of stakeholders under the aegis of the Coalition of Niger South Development Associations, led by the member representing Bida/Gbako/Katcha Federal Constituency, Sa’idu Musa Abdullahi.

The stakeholders had appealed to the Federal Government to urgently intervene in the deteriorating condition of the road, citing its socio-economic importance and the growing security challenges along the corridor.

Abdullahi, while making the case for the road, stressed the need for the Federal Government to complete the project, noting that its poor condition had adversely affected communities, businesses and commuters in the area.

Speaking on behalf of the coalition, Chairman of Bida Forum, Muhammad Jameel Muhammad, urged the ministry to begin emergency remedial work on the worst sections of the road to make it passable while arrangements were made for full mobilisation to site.

He said the stakeholders wanted to see tangible action within the next two months, including the return of contractors to the site.

“The first one, sir, is because of the way the road is. In fact, along the stretch, we have articulated and heavy trucks. So we are requesting emergency remedial work on the bad spots, so at least the road will be passable.

“The second is that all we want in the next two months is to begin to see something on the ground — mobilisation to site, let the contractors come,” he said.

The stakeholders requested the establishment of a monitoring team with community representatives to facilitate communication between the communities and the contractors.

Muhammad explained that the proposed community involvement was not intended to interfere with the technical aspects of the project, but to assist with community relations and help resolve issues that could delay construction.

He appealed to the government not to allow the road to become another political campaign project, saying residents wanted actual construction work rather than repeated promises.

“It has been said by people, and we have seen that in the past, that the road has been a political campaign tool. So we want this time around, it shouldn’t be political approval; we want the job done,” he said.

“We have had governments that have come to do the same. We have even mentioned some that would say they are doing groundbreaking, but afterwards nothing happened.”

He added that the stakeholders wanted the minister to provide a clear timeline for the intervention so that they could return to their communities with something more concrete than another promise.

Minister of State for Works, Bello Mohammed Goronyo, commended Abdullahi for his commitment to the development of his constituents.
Goronyo said Umahi had demonstrated commitment to addressing the road problem and assured the delegation that the minister would fulfil his pledge.

“He has been talking about this Niger for a very long time, and he said we should find time to go there and do the groundbreaking. I want to tell you that my minister is the type of person that will not just come and give you empty promises. If he will do it, he’ll do it,” he said.

Umahi, in his remarks, said the Federal Government was committed to major infrastructure projects in Niger State, particularly given the strategic importance of the roads and the security implications of their poor condition.

He said the situation on the Bida-Lapai-Lambata corridor, including the difficulties experienced by heavy-duty trucks, had heightened his concern about the road.

According to him, pressure from stakeholders, including Abdullahi, the Niger State governor, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, and Senator Sani Musa, compelled him to seek President Bola Tinubu’s approval for intervention.

“Because of the pressure, I went to Mr President. I said, please, you have so much in your hands. Can we allow that? President said, if we do it, it will help, and the insecurity within that corridor will be eliminated,” Umahi said.

The minister disclosed that several road projects were being executed in Niger State through the Federal Government’s tax-credit programme, including two projects that had recently been awarded.

He said Niger State was the biggest beneficiary of the National Mobilisation Programme’s tax-credit intervention, adding that Niger State and the South-South region accounted for 51 per cent of the entire tax-credit programme.

Umahi explained that the rising cost of construction had significantly increased the financial requirements for completing road projects inherited by the administration.

“When we came on board, we had it at N2.68 trillion, but it’s totally over N13 trillion, and with the removal of subsidy and the floating of the naira, your guess is as good as mine what the cost of this project will be,” he said.

He noted that the average cost of constructing a kilometre of standard road had risen from about N500 million to between N2.5 billion and N3 billion, depending on the terrain and other construction requirements.

Umahi maintained that the Tinubu administration remained committed to funding roads and bridges across the country.

“He’s been very intentional in funding the roads and the bridges. Every part of this country became a construction site,” he said.