Kwara State Rehabilitates 80 Roads In Six Months

By Tunde Akanbi, Ilorin

The Kwara State Government, North Central Nigeria says it has rehabilitated about 80 roads across the three Senatorial districts of the state in the last six months.

The Supervising Commissioner in charge of the Ministry of Works and Transport, AbdulQuawiy Olododo, made the disclosure in an interview with newsmen in Ilorin, the state capital.

Olododo, a newly certified Electrical and Electronics Engineer, explained that the state government was alarmed with decrepit conditions of some of the roads and their implications for seamless transportation systems, hence its resolve to repair them.

He noted that the government also constructed Igbaja town hall road to reflect the disposition of the present administration not to concentrate infrastructural projects in the capital city.

Olododo said Buka Adena Bridge in Kaiama, Kaiama Local Government Area of the state is being built, stressing that the 33 kilometres Ilesha-Baruba/Gwanara Road was terminated and re-awarded and would soon be completed.

He disclosed that he undertook inspection tour of the infrastructure projects to ensure that they are delivered within the timeframe earmarked for them.

According to him, that “the ongoing Adeta/Oloje Road in Ilorin West Local Government Area of the state was at the verge of asphalt overlay.”

The Commissioner said the upgrade of Abdulwahab Folawiyo Road otherwise known as Unity Road is approaching completion with the rounding off of the laying of binder course asphalt.

He maintained that the government is executing Unity Flyover and road upgrade in line with its urban renewal development agenda.

“Since I took over the Ministry in October (last year) overseeing it, we have been able to rehabilitate not less than 70 to 80 roads across the state. When I said rehabilitate, started and completed. And of course, some of our ongoing projects that I inherited, that were facing the issues of variation of price due to inflationary trend in the country, we have been able to attend to a significant amount of them, and work is back on site.

“Example is town hall road in Igbaja. As we are currently speaking, they are laying the asphalt of that road and it would be completed and we would be done with that project. Also, one of them is new Secretariat Road in Lafiagi, Edu Local Government Area of the state. The contractor is back on site. In matter of may be one month or one and half months, we should be completing that project as well.

“Project like Buka Adena Bridge in Kaiama too is ongoing as we currently speak. This is a project I actually initiated. For Ilesha-Baruba/Gwanara road, we had to terminate and re-award. Work is ongoing on site. I was there about two weeks ago just to push the contractor to ensure that timelines are met,” he said.

“We are pushing on more roads to also be done. We did tender last week for about 18 new roads that will be newly constructed across the three senatorial districts in the state. Adeta/Oloje road is nearing completion. What we are left with right now is just the laying of asphalt.

“As at Tuesday, I still spoke with the contractors, and they are mobilising to sites. Even though we are trying to work on their next payment, we should just secure approvals for them for variation of price as well.

“Of course, we also announced some very important projects at the end of last year, which is Unity Flyover and upgrade of Abdulwahab Folawiyo road. Work has commenced. For Abdulwahab Folawiyo road as we currently speak, they are rounding off with the laying of binder course asphalt before we now do the wearing course laying of the asphalt.

“The side walkways had been completed, the road median had been completed. When the wearing course asphalt has been laid, the next thing is to do the road furniture. The road marking and painting of the kerbs will be done with that project. We have been able to put the contractor to deliver even beyond the expected time frame, because we understand the importance of that route and businesses that are operating along that route,”Olododo said.

He stated that new road projects would be embarked upon across the state following the conclusion of their tender.