Insurgency threatens N17b Borno road projects

Activities of insurgency have continued to threaten provision of N17 billion infrastructure projects in Maiduguri, Borno State, the State Government has said.

But the government said notwithstanding of the challenge, it would still ensure delivery of some of the projects.

Specifically hampered is a three-kilometre Lagos Street Bridge awarded in 2012.

The insurgency, according to government officials had targeted road engineers and the routes through which building materials are transported to various projects’ sites in the state.

The roads projects cover a total distance of 48 kilometres, including the Old Maiduguri 7.5 kilometer dual carriageway.

Borno State Commissioner of Works and Transport, Alhaji Adamu Lawan disclosed this last week at the Maiduguri-Bulumkutu and Lagos Street project sites, while briefing newsmen on non-completion of road projects.

The affected construction firms, according to him, include Eighteenth Engineering Company (EEC), Grand Scope Company and a Kano-based Hajaig Construction Company handling the Bulumkutu road projects.

His words: “Our fears and frustrations on delays that led to non-completion of these roads and bridges in Maiduguri metropolis, was caused by this insurgency. It prevented the haulage of building materials and equipment to sites; while the lives of road sites engineers are threatened, including the killings of some in 2013 and 2014 at three different project sites in Borno state.

“Hajaig firm has for example, brings in its laterite from Damboa, 87 kilometres from Maiduguri, while other roads construction equipment had to be transported from far away Kano to this Bulumkutu project site. The state government had wanted to revoke this contract, but doing so could lead to the loss of over N2 billion.”

He, however, said that the Bulumkutu high-density community road complex has reached 98 per cent completion. He explained that what
Remained, was two percent, including roads’ marking and painting.

He added that, the Lagos Street road and bridge projects would also be completed for commissioning on May 29, 2016 by Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State.

Managing Director, Hajaig, Rilwan Abdulkareem Hajaig, noted that Boko Haram insurgency in Maiduguri metropolis and the North-East sub-region of the country has affected and delayed the completion of projects in the metropolis.