The CRCC Construction Company Limited has completed 80 per cent work on the 100 kilometres Phase 1 Birnin Yauri to Kontagora road.

The federal government in 2013 awarded a N19.8 billion contract for the construction of 100 kilometres Birnin Yauri to Kontagora road and 85 kilometres Kontagora to Makera road.

Qi Yong, Project Manager of the company, said that only 18 kilometres of the route remained for completion.

Also, Giovanni Bottista, Project Manager, GR Construction Company Nigeria Limited, said that the contract for the construction of 52.3 kilometres Agaie to Katcha and Katcha to Baro roads started in 2014.

He said that the present administration paid a backlog of about N2 billion for mobilisation of contractors to site, adding that about N750 million has been expended so far.

Similarly, Paolo Campanella, Project Manager of Salini Nigeria Limited, said that the present administration has paid N7 billion out of the N10 billion for the construction phase 1 Minna to Suleja road.

He explained that the dualisation of Minna to Suleja road was divided into two phases, adding that the phase 1 contract was awarded for N10 billion while the phase 2 was N23 billion.

Mr. Campanella said that the federal government had paid 70 per cent of the money for the construction of the phase 1 and made advanced payment of N3.5 billion for the phase 2.

He said that the company would speed up work to 6 kilometres full carriage per month and commended the present administration for the release of the Sukuk bond fund for the project.

Meanwhile, Iheanacho Umeh, Federal Controller of Works in Niger, said that the government awarded contract for the construction of Kontagora to Makera and Birnin Yauri to Kontagora roads in November 2012 at the cost of N19.8 billion.

Similarly, Dayyabu Mamman, Zonal Director, Highways North Central, said that the federal government used the budgetary provision for 2017 to mobilise contractors to sites.

He added that government would pay all outstanding obligations as soon as the 2018 budget was passed.

Mr. Mamman said that all contractors handling federal government projects in the North-central were back on sites.

Abdullahi Gikada, an artisan who sells cement in Agaie, told NAN that the projects had boosted his business due to increase in business activities.

“I am very happy because my cement business has improved. The mobilisation of contractors to site has help in boosting my business because the contractors buy cement from me.

“I now have customers from other neighbouring communities because the road is now accessible and easy to transport goods,” he said.

(NAN)