Ilorin- The federal government has completed the
costruction and rehabilitation of the abandoned
Ilorin -Jebba federal high way.
Federal Controller of works, Kwara State, Engr.
Atitebi Wasiu Kunle, who announced this on
Friday told a team of journalists led by the
minister of Information and Culture, Alh. Lai
Mohammed, that the 93.6km completed road is
part of the entire road contract awarded since
13th December 2013 by federal government,
stretching from Ilorin-Jebba – Mokwa route at the
contract sum of N14.579 billion.
He explained that the Kwara state section is
93.6km in length, and starts from somewhere
6km behind within Ilorin township and ends at
after Jebba bridge.
“The road was constructed over 30 years ago
and since then there has not been any attention
on this road. For more than 10 years, this road
was virtually abandoned because it completely
collapsed because no vehicle could pass the
road again. But those who had no alternative like
those vehicles from the west to the north have to
be plying it. Sometimes they have to be spending
up to 6 days to get to either Jebba or Mokwa or
beyond.
“The contract started in January 2014 with a
contract period of 3 years. However the contract
period has been extended till the end of this
year.
“I can tell you that the contractor has been paid
and you can see the road has been completed
from beginning till end with road signs.
“The quality of work is international standard and
comparable to those all over the world.”
On the quality of the road, Engr. Wasiu said:
“With the current traffic, the road can withstand
between 15 to 20 years,” and that government is
not stopping at that because dualisation of the
road has been awarded to the same contractor
and is expected that within the next two to three
weeks works will commence at a total contract
sum of N130b.
According to him, the Kwara state section of the
proposed dualization is 80bn, while Niger state
section is 50bn.
Responding to questions, the Minister described
the road as a very strategic axis to the nation’s
economy because “it serves as a link between
the South West and Northern axis, leading to
Algeas.”
According to the minister, “This administration
took over the road at 15.9% completion and
today the road has been 100% completed by the
contractor.”
Explaining further, Alh. Mohammed said “The
Niger state portion had to do mainly with
rehabilitation of the road, the shoulders, the
escavation and also the calvert.
“The focus of this administration is on
infrastructure, you can imagine if this Mokwa
bridge is at the original, what will be the cost of
food items today? It means that commuters have
to look for another route or they will stop
bringing food stuff across the country.
“We are not a govt that will put money in
anybody’s pocket, if this contract cost N10bn
and you are giving all the politicians one one
million, when they have taken the one one
million, they will join in abusing government,
saying there is no road and no bridge. We will
rather slowly and painstakingly revive the
economy. Govt is working and the result is there
for all to see.”
When asked if the road would be tolled, the
minister said: “Not all roads are for tolling,
because if you look at the idea of tolling, a road
is to be able to recoup the cost of construction
because in most cases people take loans to do
these projects and to make it sustainable.
“The study is being compiled and at the end of
the study, it will be decided whether we want toll.
For us as a government, our focus is to provide
these infrastructure. Whether we toll or we don’t
toll there is still vehicles moving. This road
carries 7,500 vehicles a day and about a year
ago it was carrying probably one-tenth of that so
I am quite glad.”
Attesting to the sincerity of the present
administration, the Baale of Bode Sadu
Community in Moro LGA, Barr. Bolakale Yusuf,
who expressed gratitude to government over the
timely completion of the project said: “The road
is the life wire of economy between the North/
South.
“We are so grateful to government. The people in
this community will do all they can to protect, we
see it as important asset.We have tested and
still testing dividends of democracy.
“Before now, the road was terrible, we couldn’t
do anything. Our market closed down because
people were not secured. It affected everything. It
could take weeks to travel out of this axis.
Fixing this road has done a whole lots of good. It
has positively affected our people.
“Our market closed down because people were
not secured. It affected everything. It could take
weeks to travel out of this axis.
Fixing this road has done a whole lots of good. It
has positively affected our people.”
Also speaking, the federal controller of Niger
state, Engr. I.F Umeh, who was represented by
the resident Engr. along Jebba-Mokwa road,
Engr. Samuel Isa Sumangu told the journalists
that “Before now, the surface of the road was
undulating and there was a lot of failure at the
location but remedy came when we excavated up
to 6meters and reinstated it with boulders. After
that we lay our stone base, our binder cost and
our wearing cost that is on our carriageway
subsequently on all.
“We have about 38 failed sections from here to
Mokwa and the shoulders. Also,we have
reinstated them. We have also built 2 cell box
Calvert.
“At the second longest failed sections which we
have reinstated it is at Tara. At this particular
place, we reinstated with lateritic material then
followed by our stone base, binder cost and
wearing cost on the carriage way.
Continuing, Sumangu expkained that: “This road
was terribly bad to a point that some vehicles
spend more than one week and are prone to
accidents. But now it is a route that vehicles can
ply. This section of the work is being funded by
ecological fund. We have 2 locations of U shaped
line train, 4 pipe cross Calvert and the double
Cell box calvert.
“The amount for this job is N1.07bn for 34kms
but out of it, we did only 4.3km that was the fell
sections.”

https://www.vanguardngr.com/2018/08/fg-completes-ilorin-jebba-high-way/

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