The Governor of Kaduna State, Senator Uba Sani, on the 26th of June, 2023, approved the constitution of a committee to determine the status of all ongoing projects across the State. The eight member committee headed by Sabiu Sani had immediately commenced work, even though not without controversy.
This was triggered by a news report titled, “They collected money and abandoned the projects – Kaduna Official slams El-rufai’s contractors.” Despite the fact that the report was subsequently debunked by the Chairman, it stirred public interest in the committee’s work. Curiously, many want to know how loans running into billions of naira were utilized for road construction under the Urban Renewal Projects.
The findings and recommendations of the committee’s report, for many others, will provide the foundation for the current administration’s road construction component of its rural transformation program. However, over three months after, there seems to be no public record of the committee finalizing and submitting its report, if there is, then it must have been ignored by the mainstream media.
The committee had four weeks to: determine the status of all ongoing projects across the state; get the details of contractual agreements/obligations; find out the funding arrangements and commitments of parties; find out the completion period of the projects; and come up with specific recommendations on each project.
The findings of the committee in line with its terms of reference will be key to addressing the huge road infrastructure deficit in the State. As the State-owned roads, according to the Kaduna State Infrastructure Master-Plan (2018-2050), comprises of 2,133.59 kilometers, out of which only 49.20% (1,049.72km) are in good state, 22.09% (471.25km) are in a fair state and 28.71% (612.63km) are in a poor state. Out of the total State roads, 66.87% (1,426.79km) are paved (AC/SD) while the remaining 33.13% (706.80km) is earth road.
The plan also estimated a total of N8.09 trillion (N245 billion annually) will be required to address the roads renovation, construction and expansion envisaged in the State during the period. The Governor has gone on to kickstart the construction of rural roads under the RAAMP, among others. The question will be how much of the committee’s report recommendations, in case it has been finalized and submitted without public notice, informed the ongoing road constructions to ensure value for money.
In the spirit of transparency and accountability, it is imperative for the committee’s report to be made public. This will enable residents of the State to know how monies invested in road construction, especially under the past administration, were utilized and what recommendations have been offered to improve the quality of service delivery. This is because road infrastructure is key to inclusive and sustainable socio-economic development of the State.
Lets engage, ask the right questions and hold the government accountable.
Yusuf Ishaku Goje
Active Citizen
