Gombe-Numan highway rehabilitation: Gombe, Taraba, Borno commuters worry over pace of work

After a tour of connected towns through which the Gombe-Numan highway runs, TOM GARBA reports the frustration of commuters and the economic losses occasioned by the deplorable condition of the road.

The federal road from Gombe to Yola is a stretch of 245 kilometers and a drive of about a maximum of three hours when driving to Yola. The road has a very high economic value considering its use during the transportation of farm produce such as rice, fish, maize, cow meat, millet in commercial quantities. But the deplorable nature of the road has continued to hamper economic activities in recent times, bearing in mind that the road links Taraba, Yobe and Borno states, even extending towards neighboring parts of Cameroon.

Alhaji Adamu Aliyu, a merchant who deals in the sale of hides and skin, told Nigerian Tribune that aside the incessant accidents on the road, many commuters fall prey to armed robbery attacks. According to him, this menace has continued to thrive as a result of the worsening condition of the road. Adamu attributed this to the nonchalant attitude of government at various levels in rehabilitating the road.

Official statistics by the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and Vehicles Inspection Officers (VIO) has shown that the road from 1999 to date has claimed lives of many travellers.

The chief of Bachama whose territory is located along the road, Homun Irmiya, said since the rehabilitation of the road was awarded about three years ago, the trench linking Cham, connecting the boundary between Adamawa and Gombe states was yet to be completed. He stated that the contractors handling the job “are not being funded.”

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Irmiya also lamented the poor handling of the ongoing work on the road leading from Numan to Jalingo. He said the contractors handling the road were not capable and competent, considering the slow pace of the job.

A local, Mr Gabriel Pwasato, in an interaction with Nigerian Tribune, said that the deplorable nature of the road has increased the occurrence of armed robbery and kidnapping in recent times. He said the present condition of the road has turned Numan into an unsafe place, just as he begged the government to come to their aid.

On September 1, 2019, the bridge linking Adamawa and Gombe states where road users are able to connect Bauchi, Plateau, Kano, Kaduna and Abuja left many commuters stranded following its collapse.

Nigerian Tribune, after a tour of roads from Yola through Mayo Belwa and Zinc, observed the near-collapse of a bridge in Nassarawo Jereng, connecting the boundary of Zinc in Taraba few kilometers from Mayo. Gully erosion has been observed to be eating at the base of the bridge.

An indigene of the Zinc Local Government Area of Taraba, Kefas, narrated the hardship they are daily confronted with in transporting their agricultural produce to markets in Zinc, Mayobelwa and even Ngorure.

According to him, Zinc is a major producer of yam in the country, where people from South East, North West and neighboring country of Cameroon visit the market on Wednesdays to buy tubers of yam in commercial quantities. He frowned on the nonchalant attitude of government in fixing the road.

“We don’t have any serious business except farming; here in Zinc we have the best variety of yam tubers that anybody or company would want. Before this road deteriorated to this level, our Wednesday market day would start on Monday where we would receive merchants from all places, including Cameroon; lorries are brought in large numbers to convey tubers of yam to other parts of the country. But now as I speak with you, our tubers of yam do not have much value again; only few businessmen and women visit the yam markets  because of the deplorable state of the road,” he said.

He said many of the youths, before the deplorable state of the road set in, were dealers in the exportation of yam tubers to several states in the country. He said the economic fortune that was registered during this had vanished, leaving many of them to mourn their present state.

The recent collapse of the Nukkai Bridge, on  the Jalingo-Mutu-biu-Wukari road, cutting off the major link between the North-East, North Central and the South East zones, has led to increase in traffic congestion on the Gombe-Yola road. The unprecedented increase, coupled with the poor condition of the Bam-Bam-Lamurde axis of the Gombe-Yola road has resulted in many accidents resulting in loss of lives and property.

It will be recalled that the Gombe-Numan federal road rehabilitation project was awarded afresh by President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration in 2016.

Nearly two years into the life of the multi-billion naira contract, Nigerians plying the Gombe-Numan highway are not elated about the progress of the project. The Federal Government awarded the contract for the completion of the rehabilitation of the Gombe-Numan-Yola road to Triacta Nigerian Limited and Chinese Geo-engineering Company (CGC).

While Triacta Nigeria Limited undertakes the Gombe to Kaltungo portion of the road, CGC is to rebuild the road from Kaltungo to Numan. The phase II of the project, located in Gombe State, is to cover the road from Gombe to Kaltungo, which stretches a distance of 83km. Earlier in March, motorists plying  the Gombe-Numan-Yola highway were assured that the ongoing construction work on the Gombe-Kaltungo axis would be completed by June.

The project manager, Imran Khan, told the Director, Federal Highway, North-East, at the Ministry of Power, Works and Housing, Rufai Mohammed, that over 45 kilometres out of the 68 kilometres from the Gombe – Kaltungo axis of the road had been completed.

Amos James, a road site vulcanizer in a  village close to Lafiyan Lamurde, informed Nigerian Tribune that about two kilometres portion of the excavation and grading part of the road which passes through their village, was only done early this year.

“It was early this year that they moved their equipment to where it is now, not far away from our village,” he said. “I think they stopped working due to lack of funding. We are looking forward to having them return immediately so that they can tar the road on time as the rains are turning the graded road into (a) pool of mud and cause problems for travellers,” he said.

Nigerian Tribune also observed the presence of road construction equipment parked at the spots where fresh work were being carried out. Vehicles had to dust their way through the freshly graded portion of the road which is awaiting further development along the Savannah Sugar company.

The remaining stretch of road that goes beyond Lafiyan Lamurde town and to Numan is still dotted with large potholes. There was slow construction work ongoing along the Gombe-Numan road at Dangwate Sugar company.

Auwal Suleiman, Triacta Nigeria Limited’s quality control manager for the Gombe-Yola project, said “the Gombe-Numan-Yola rehabilitation project was awarded in 2011 but there was no mobilization for contractors to commence work until 2016, when it was finally funded”.

He said work the Gombe-Numan highway commenced in earnest in June 2016, starting from the Gombe town to Kaltungo, in Gombe State.

“And we were able to cover 23km by December of 2016. After that, we received a signal from the Federal Ministry of Works to go to the Kaltungo end of the project which happened to be the worst part of the project. And in 2017 we were able to cover about 18km from that axis. After tackling the worst aspect of the road, we returned to the Gombe side of the project where we left off, to continue the work, with the intention of connecting it with Kaltungo,” he said.

On the stage of the project’s completion, Mr Suleiman said “so far, about 65 per cent of the project has been completed. There are some sections of the road that are difficult, which we have not been able to cover, especially between Kumo and Billiri towns. We hope to cover the remaining 35 per cent part of the road by December.”

On the issue of funding, Mr Suleiman said government has not been defaulting in payment.

“This government is really trying because they have not been defaulting in terms of payment. Each time we raise certificate for part completion, they pay promptly. That is why you see us working on the road.”

The challenge being faced by Triacta Nigeria Limited, according to Mr Suleiman, is the issue of traffic on the highway. Gombe-Yola road is one of the busiest roads in the North-East. Contractors have to constantly pay attention and make provision for easy flow of traffic while the work is still ongoing. “This slows down the work,” he said.

The contractors told Nigerian Tribune that they have engaged over 500 unskilled labourers who are mostly from Gombe, Yola, Kaltungo and other smaller villages which the road passes through.

“There is enough space to work on, so there has never been any cause to pay compensation whatsoever,” said Triacta’s quality control manager.

He added that “even if there is any private structure that is close to the highway, we see it as an encroachment and the Federal Government has the right of way. And that happens only when we are taking the project through the towns.”

Nigerian Tribune