AFP PHOTO / STEFAN HEUNIS
Determined to address physical infrastructure deficit that hampers economic development in the country, the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC) has reached agreement with the Borno State Government to complete eight proposed road projects.
The commission takes over the roads as part of a concessional deal with the State’s Ministry of Works and Transport. ICRC concessional roads cover a total distance of 729 kilometres in eight local councils of Biu, Gwoza, Askira/Uba, Kukawa, Kaga, Bama,
Damboa and Mobbar, a border community with Niger.
Speaking on the project, the Commissioner of Works and Transport, Adamu Lawan said that the eight roads link various farm and herding communities, adding that the State Government through the Ministry of Works and Transport has made presentation to ICRC for concession of
Kukawa-Zari-Damasak, Dikwa-Gulumba-Banki, Miringa-Gunda and Pulka-Kirawa roads.
He said the Marghi Highway, which covers a distance of 38 kilometres, will link Mussa, Hyum, Dile and Lassa communities in Askira/Uba council. Other concession roads, he added, include 167-kilometre
Maiduguri-Gubio-Damasak, 203-kilometrre Ngamdu-Damboa-Gwoza and 25-kilometre Wiza-Khughum roads.
He explained that this year, the ministry will undertake the construction of Dikwa-Gambouru-Ngala federal road at the instance of Federal Ministry of Works and another 729 kilometres of roads through concessioning.
His words: “During the year under review; the Ministry was able to complete a total of 40 projects at the cost of N2.1billion. They include; 34 civil engineering, five public building and one mechanical engineering projects.
“We’ve held discussion with Federal Ministry of Works, Housing and Power on the completion of Dikwa Gambouru Ngala abandoned federal government. About 16 projects are currently ongoing in the various directorates, while seven projects are still suspended due to security issues.”
He said in the next two years, the Ministry is to complete ongoing, suspended and abandoned projects because of the nine-year security challenges.
Meanwhile, the State authorities have suspended the completion of eight rural roads projects, as troops of Operation Lafiya Dole yet to clear liberated communities where the projects are sited.
The abandoned projects are sited in the not cleared liberated communities of eight local councils of Borno state.
He said that the roads projects, which were awarded in 2011, were suspension and abandoned in 2013, with completion levels of 40 -93 per cent.
According to him, the non-clearance of remote communities in Jere, MMC, Kukawa, Dikwa, Konduga, Ngala, Bama, Mafa; and Askira/Uba councils in Southern Borno by the military forced the contractors to suspend civil engineering works.
He said the Eighteenth Engineering Company (EEC) and China Geophysical Engineering Company (ECG) handing the rural based projects, abandoned their project sites in 2013.
His words: “The affected contractors cannot return to project sites, until these liberated communities in the eight councils are cleared and secured by the military and other security agencies.
“The 50-kilometre Dikwa-Gambouru federal road is to be built by the state government at the cost of N6.8 billion this year.”
