Apparently concerned by the deplorable conditions of the Minna-Bida road and the slow pace of the construction work on the road, Niger State Governor, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello has ordered the closure of the road and other state-owned roads in the state to Trailers, Tankers and other articulated vehicles with effect from Tuesday.
The Governor who personally supervised the closure of the road at the Bida end of the road at a brief ceremony on Tuesday said the decision to close the road to all these categories of vehicles was to allow the construction company, Dantata& Sawoe handle the rehabilitation work speed up the job.
The Governor, accompanied by members of the State Infrastructure and Projects Monitoring Committee headed by the Chief Of Staff to the Governor, Malam Ibrahim Balarabe Kagara, and State Executive Council members, personally pulled down the iron barricades to signal the official closure of the road at Bida, and appealed to members of the public to cooperate with the government as the decision was not a deliberate one, but for the good of all, including those affected.
Other state roads closed alongside the Minna-Bida road includes, Lapai-Paiko, Chanchaga Bridge-Maikunkele, Muye-Lapai, and Zungeru-Wushishi roads respectively.
The Governor pointed out that the decision to close these roads was taken after series of meetings with the relevant critical stakeholders, following complaints by the Construction Company handling the rehabilitation work over the activities of the heavy trucks on the road.
The rehabilitation work on the 82kilometers Minna-Bida road was awarded to Dantata and Sowoe in February this year at the cost of N23.4billion with a completion period of 18 months.
ALSO READ: COVID-19 has taught us to develop local capacities ― Senate President
Seven months later, only about 5percent of the work has been achieved, and the construction company attributed the slow pace of work to the heavy volume of traffic on the road, especially Trailers, trucks and other articulated vehicles.
Governor Abubakar Sani Bello thereby assured that the restriction of articulated vehicles on the state-owned roads would be effective “because series of critical stakeholders meetings have been held and the stakeholders were in support of the decision, stressing, that the closure only affects the state-owned roads”.
The Governor, however, warned that any articulated vehicle caught violating the restriction order “will have themselves to blame as the Government has made widespread publicity and consultations on its closure”.
He, therefore, enjoined its citizens to show some level of understanding as it was not unaware of the inconveniences the restriction will cause, adding that “this decision is in the overall interest of the general public who go through hardships piling the road every day.”
Some of the truck drivers who witnessed the official closure of the road, applauded the government for embarking on the rehabilitation of the road, noting that the Bida- Minna road, was last attended to over 20 years ago, saying, “we are are in full support hoping that the restriction will bring about the desired result.”
A trailer driver, Yusuf Ahmed who was coming from Bauchi State but caught up in the barricade in the presence of the Governor, said he couldn’t meet the deadline because of an accident on the road which delayed his journey but appealed for consideration, bearing in mind, the current development, it was obvious that the initial 18 dry months time frame for completion of the road may no longer be feasible, as such the State Ministry of Works and Infrastructure has been directed to adopt measures to enable the contractors to complete the project on a good time.
Buhari, Trailblazer In Modular Refinery Delivery ― Lai Mohammed
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, on Wednesday, said while previous administrations talked about modular refineries, only President…Gov Bello orders closure
Palliative: FG Distributes Food Items To 80,405 Households In Sokoto
The Federal Government has begun the distribution of 3,659.7 metric tonnes of grains to 80,405 households in Sokoto State…Gov Bello orders closure Gov Bello orders closure
PHOTO NEWS: Protest Over Hike In Price Of Petrol, Electricity Tariff Ongoing In Yaba, Lagos
A peaceful protest by members of the Joint Action Front against the hike in Petrol and Electricity by the federal government…Gov Bello orders closure Gov Bello orders closure
and then