FG awards N130bn for dualisation of Ilorin-Jebba-Mokwa road
By FEDERAL Government has awarded dualisation of the just rehabilitated Ilorin-Jebba-Mokwa road, which links areas in South West and North, at a sum of N130 billion.
Speaking when the minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, inspected the level of completion of the road on Friday, the Federal Controller of Works, Kwara state, Wasiu Atitebi, said that, already, a lane of the road from Ilorin-Jebba, awarded in December 2013, is now 100 per cent completed.
He said that rehabilitation of the road was awarded at a contract sum of N14.6 billion by the Goodluck Jonathan administration.
“For more than 10 years, this road was virtually abandoned because it had collapsed, but those who had no alternative plied the road grudgingly.
“This road was eventually awarded in 2013 December and the project started in January 2014. Duration time was three years and the contract period was extended till the end of this year.
“The contract was awarded at the cost of N14.6billion and the contract has been paid and the road is 100 per cent completed with road signs, road markings. The quality of work is comparable to any quality standard in the world.
“With the current traffic, the road can withstand pressure of between 15 and 20 years. And the government is not even stopping at that.
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About a month ago, the Federal Government awarded the dualisation of the road. Construction work is expected to commence in the next three weeks.
“The contract will span Ilorin to Jebba to Mokwa at a total contract sum of N130 billion. The Kwara state section will cost N80 billion, while Niger state section is about N50 billion.”
Also speaking, the minister said that currently, no fewer than 7,500 vehicles ply the road on a daily basis.
“We just inspected the Ilorin to Bode Saadu end of the road in Kwara state. The 93 kilometres road is an important axis for the economy of Nigeria. This section is the Ilorin to Jebba, Mokwa to Birni Gwari in Kaduna state. The significant thing about the project is that it was awarded in 2012, the job was supposed to have commenced in 2014. By the time this administration came, it was only 15 per cent completed. As at today, it is 100 per cent completed.
“Before now it used to take between three and four days for trucks to move from Ilorin to Jebba. Today it takes about two hours. The road is strategic because it is the link between the north and southern part of the country. So goods and services, trucks carrying petroleum and agricultural products ply this road. As at today, I am told that this road carries 7,500 vehicles in a day of which almost a thousand are going to be heavy vehicles.
“In terms of the impact on the economy, that before now people abandoned this place as the road had totally failed. I think for me, it significant to this administration that rather than put money in the pockets of certain individuals, it has decided to put money on infrastructure that will affect the lives of all.
“You can see the free flow of traffic, a year or two years ago that was not the case. And we have started. This government is working especially in the area of infrastructure.”
On the Jebba-Makowa axis, Federal Controller, Works Niger state, Engr. I.F Umeh represented by Resident Engineer for Jebba-Makowa road, Samuel Sumangu said the Jebba Bridge section of the road had virtually collapsed before government’s intervention.
“I want to tell you that where we are standing now was unsuitable for vehicular movements. The surface was undulating. There was a lot of failure at this particular location. But we remedied it by excavating up to point six metres and reinstated it with boulders and others on the carriageway.
“Before then we had about 38 failed sections from here to Mokwa and we reinstated the shoulders and we also built two failed box culvert.”
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