After decades of abandonment by successive administrations, the Federal government under President Mhammadu Buhari, has approved contract for the rehabilitation of Shintaku-Dekina Federal road, which links the eastern part of Kogi state, with the western part of the state.
The federal Controller of works in Kogi State, Engr. Jimoh Kajogbola, confirms this to Voice of Nigeria in Lokoja, central Nigeria.
In a telephone interview, Engr. Kajogbola, says the road contract through the Federal ministry of works, covers major repairs on the road, which provides the shortest route to Kogi East Senatorial District from the Western Axis of the state.
Federal legislators from the area and political leaders over the years, had been lobbying for the expansion and reconstruction of the infrastructure, development stakeholders in the Senatorial District, regard as a ‘critical’ infrastructure for trade and economic development of the Senatorial District.
The controller of works, however, could not confirm to Voice of Nigeria, the scope of the contract until he receives further details from the supervising ministry.
The huge economic benefits of the historic road project to economic activities in Bassa and Dekina local government areas, make the road project a ‘landmark project’ among several other Federal projects in the state.
Shintaku-Dekina federal road rehabilitation and proposed construction of Shintaku-Ganaja Bridge across River Niger, remain a major ‘ Campaign Promise’ to federal Legislators from the Senatorial District just as an Economist, Danjuma Umar, says it could economically transform livelihoods in the agrarian Communities along the federal road, whose reconstruction had been in the pipeline, spanning many years of successive administrations.
He expressed the hope that if the work scale covers the area mentioned, there would be a major work on the remaining portion of the road waiting for completion.
The federal government also awarded contract for the emergency repair of the 7-kilometre Lokoja -Ganaja Township road in November, 2021.
Engr. Kajogbola gave the assurance that as soon as the contractors receive mobilisation, they would move to site to begin construction work in earnest.
