By Rabiu Musa
The contractor handling the construction of the dilapidated 34.5 kilometers Kwanar-Garko-Kibiya road project in Kano has officially resumed work on the site after a report by DAILY NIGERIAN.
The convener, Kibiya Community Development Association, Bashir Ado, confirmed the development to this newspaper when our reporter visited the construction site at Gurjiya village on Tuesday.
A September 2022 investigation by DAILY NIGERIAN chronicled how the abandoned project caused suffering, death, and anguish to over 120 communities along the corridor of the 34.5km dilapidated road about five years after it was first awarded and slated for completion in 12 months
DAILY NIGERIAN reports that the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing awarded the contract to IAC Allied Technical and Construction Company with the commencement date of 12 June 2017 at the cost of N3.949bn, which was billed to last for 12 months.
Five years on, the contractor had only completed 3km of a single asphaltic lane and 2 km of earthwork in the entire stretch of the road, despite receiving an initial mobilization fee of N564m from the Federal Government.
A financial progress document made available to this newspaper from sources within the Federal Ministry of Works, revealed that the total amount received by the contractor as of April 2022 is N762.79m.
Reacting to the latest development, a community leader at Audinga Village, Shehu Sani, 53, expressed happiness and thanked the Federal Government for ensuring that the contractor returned to the site after several years.
“The communities along the corridor of the road will enjoy a smooth ride after its completion without fear of being involved in an accident which has claimed many lives already,” he said.
Mariya Idris, 21, an undergraduate student of Yusuf Maitama Sule University in Kano metropolis, said she could not hold back her tears of joy when the news about the continuation of the road project broke.
Ms Idris revealed that the dilapidation of the road, particularly a black spot at Audinga village was the reason why she had to relocate and rent an accommodation near the campus despite economic hardship for smooth academic sessions.
