Reps Unhappy With Slow Pace of Palliative Work on Abuja-Kaduna Highway
By Juliet Vincent
The House of Representatives ad hoc committee to oversee the progress and implementation of the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano Road project has expressed displeasure with the state of the Kaduna-Abuja axis of the road occasioned by the slow pace of work by the contractor.
The committee pledged that it would ensure work begins on the road and is ready for use as soon as possible by the public.
Chairman of the Committee, Hon Aminu Sani Jaji, said this when he led members of the Committee on an oversight visit to inspect the Abuja-Kaduna Highway at the weekend.
Minister of Works, Dave Umahi had last week threatened to revoke the contract if the contractors failed to return to site within seven days and continue with the project expeditiously.
He was unhappy that the road witnessed a slow completion rate since it was awarded six years ago in 2018.
During the oversight, Jaji said the committee would intervene in the matter and ensure it is resolved so that work can begin immediately.
He said, “So we’ll do our best to ensure that all things have been done in accordance with the contractual agreement and other applications that’s supposed to be done with the National Assembly, more especially this particular committee.
“You see, since there is intervention from the National Assembly, I think both the contractors and the Minister, they need to hold onto their position so that the necessary thing must be done in accordance with the contractual agreement.
“So for us, we don’t know that condition yet, until we get it formally and we have requested all necessary information from the Ministry and as well as we are going to write to all relevant agencies, including those that are responsible for this palliative exercise that is taking place on this Abuja-Kaduna road.
“So we’ll do our best to ensure that whoever needs to be addressed will be addressed in due course,” Jaji said.
He appealed to road users to be patient as efforts would be in top gear to ensure the road is in good condition for use as soon as possible.
He said, “After the demand given to this ad hoc committee, we decided to embark on an assessment tour today. We have seen a lot, and that is why we said that we cannot do anything rather than coming to see for ourselves. Seeing for ourselves will give us a headway on what to do and in fact, we’ve assessed the nature of the work and then the problem.
“What everybody can see today is that the work has been awarded for almost six years also. And then the way and manner the contractors are doing the work is too slow. And that is why the House deemed it very necessary to constitute the committee under the leadership of the Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas.
“And I believe constituting this committee will bring positive outcomes to this Abuja, Kaduna, Kano road by God’s grace. So, whether it is, whether it is funding, or it is the contractor, or it is technical, whatever the problem it is, we started our journey today and by God’s grace, we’ll do the needful and we’ll ensure that whatever problem it is, it will be sorted out and then the work is going to be done as it is, going by the mandate given to this committee to monitor the Abuja-Kaduna- Kano highway.
“My message for Nigerians is that they should be patient. I’m part of the people that are using the road, I know how bad it is. I use it almost every week. So we know how it is. At times we have a gridlock, so many things like that. So if there are challenges of that nature, the only thing is to be patient. But there should be a rest assured the National Assembly is ever ready to ensure that this road is completed in due course,” he noted.
Commenting on the palliative work being carried out on the road, he said the Committee understood it was to create a quick fix due to the high economic importance of the road.
However, he said the Committee was not impressed by the work being done.
“So I think they are trying to address some social impacts looking at this Abuja Kaduna highway and the economic importance it has. So I think they are trying to do something. Even though we are not that too comfortable with the way the work are done.
“Even the contractor needs to have some kind of coordination that would assist them in doing their work. But you can see that they are not there. And then they need to be supported or assisted. But for whatever reason, I think they were trying, but we are not impressed.
The oversight was to assess the project milestones achieved by the contractors and evaluate the ongoing palliative work initiated by the government.
Beginning at Zuba, the committee made several stops along the route to Kaduna State, closely inspecting on-site developments and assessing the efforts made to ensure a safer and more efficient highway experience for the public.
