The Federal Government has reassured Nigerians using all federal roads across the country that it is concerned for their safety while commuting from one place to another.
It has therefore assured that all highways and other major roads will be repaired and made safer before the peak of the coming rainy season.
The Federal Government has consistently, through the Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA), initiated the maintenance and repair of 32 kilometres of roads in Bauchi State ahead of the rainy season.
This assertion was made by Engr Nanpan Joroh, the Federal Road Maintenance Engineer of FERMA, Bauchi Field Office, while interacting with newsmen on Wednesday to provide an update on the condition of federal roads in the state.
Nanpan Joroh stated that, “The Federal Government is more concerned about the safety of lives of Nigerians plying the roads on a daily basis and more especially during festive periods. This was the reason behind the maintenance of the major roads.”
The engineer further explained that the projects were under the 2024 budget, adding that even though the contractors delayed reporting to the site, the work was almost completed.
According to him, “Presently, we have three contractors working on our various sites in Bauchi State. The main one is the Bauchi-Jos road, and the contractor is almost 100 per cent completed with the project.”
He stressed that, “The project covers 20 kilometres towards the Plateau State border, and when you go there now, you will see that it is pothole-free, and we did a lot of overlays along the road.”
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Nanpan Joroh added that, “Secondly, we have another ongoing project along the Bauchi-Gombe road, covering about 5 kilometres along Alkaleri town, where the contractor has carried out some patching and long stretches.”
“They are doing everything possible to make the road highly motorable for road users because that road is in a very bad shape,” he added.
“They are making the area pothole-free so people can use the location properly and without any hitches. This particular road is 50 per cent completed,” said the engineer.
Similarly, he explained that a contractor is currently working on the Kari-Yana road around the Jigawa State border, stating that the project involves the patching of potholes.
According to him, “There is also a section with washouts where the road is almost cut off, and they are trying to stabilise the area so that during the rainy season, the road will not be severed.”
Nanpan Joroh stressed that, “The contractor is there now, working on retaining walls, backfilling, and concrete protection to stabilise the road and prevent it from being cut off during the rainy season.”
He praised the pace at which the contractors were working on the roads and expressed optimism that the projects would be completed within the next month.
However, he appealed to the management of FERMA to consider some of the proposals submitted regarding various washout locations that occurred during last year’s rainy season in order to address them before the 2025 rainy season in the state.
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