By SUNDAY ABBA, Abuja
Nigerian government has reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring the timely completion of federal road projects in Katsina State, even as it assures residents of quality road infrastructure.
The assurance was given Friday during a national media tour of ongoing and completed federal road projects in the state as part of the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, according to a statement signed by Mohammed A. Ahmed, Director, Press and Public Relations, Ministry of Works.
Speaking at the project site, the Federal Controller of Works, Katsina State, Engr Idris Matinja, stated that the construction of the Ungwan Iliya Bagudu–Kwantakaran–Tsiga–Bakori Road, including the Kadabo bridges in Kafur Local Government Area, as well as the Dualisation of the Kano–Katsina Road (Katsina-Kano State Border to Katsina Steel Rolling Mill Roundabout), is progressing steadily and in line with the standards and specifications of the Federal Ministry of Works.
He further explained that the 17-kilometre (KM) Ungwan Iliya–Bakori Road project, awarded in February 2025, comprises three bridges and has so far attained over 11 per cent completion, with notable progress recorded on stone base layers and more than four kilometres of lined drains. Based on our quality assurance assessments, the work being executed fully conforms with the specifications of the Federal Ministry of Works,” the Controller said.
The Project Manager, Engr David Omotosho, representing the contractor, Messrs Halis Matrix Limited, disclosed that despite initial security challenges along some sections of the corridor, the contractor has since fully mobilised to the site with adequate equipment and personnel. He noted that the project has now reached about 15.5 per cent completion, with base course works completed on over four kilometres, adding that the contractor is targeting 40–45 per cent completion within the next few months.
Professional bodies present during the statewide inspection, including representatives of the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), Katsina Branch, led by Engr Adamu Dahiru, and the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), represented by Engr Abbas Sada confirmed that the quality of work observed meets required engineering standards and is being executed with strict adherence to professional ethics and due consideration for the safety of lives and properties within the host communities.
Also addressing journalists, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Community Engagement, Hon. Abdullahi Tanko Yakasai, expressed satisfaction with the quality of work and level of equipment mobilisation on the sites visited, while urging the contractors to sustain the current pace to ensure timely completion.
In a related development, three completed Emergency Repairs on Failed and Critical Sections projects along Mararraba-Tashan Boka-Gidan Daudu on the Katsina–Mararrabar Kankara Road were commissioned as part of the 260 Emergency Projects embarked upon by the present administration over a year ago.
Other Special Intervention Projects commissioned were the Emergency Repairs of Critical Washout at KM 1+775 and KM 2+736 along the Katsina–Dutsinma–Kankara Road, as well as the Reinstatement of Critical Washout and Repairs of Bad Portions along the Katsina–Daura Road.
The SSA-P stated that these interventions reflect President Tinubu’s passion for addressing infrastructure challenges caused by natural disasters and improving the well-being of communities along their corridors, noting that the projects were initiated and completed, mostly within three (3) months, under the current administration.
Speaking on behalf of the benefiting communities, Yahaya Usman Maikaulasa and Kabiru Tajuddeen, expressed appreciation to the federal government, adding that before the intervention, the roads were prone to frequent accidents and vehicular breakdowns. “Since the repair of this road by the present administration, we no longer experience such challenges,*they said.