A community group, Ningi Grass Root Development Association in Ningi local government area of Bauchi state has tackled those critising Governor Bala Mohammed for awarding the construction of an 11-kilometre Ningi-Gudduba dual carriageway project at the cost of over N10 billion, saying it is justifiable and will boost the socio-economic activities of the emirate.
Addressing a press conference in Ningi, the chairman of the association, Yusuf Yunusa Danburam Ning, flanked by hundreds sons and daughters of Ningi emirate, said the entire members of Ningi community were happy with the project and were ready to defend it because it would turn their town into urban city when completed.
He said most of the urban cities in the state have model roads except Ningi, and that the people of Ningi agitated for the project for a long time, adding that when completed, the road would reduce accident, and make it easy for women and children to take their wards to schools and hospitals.
“Our attention has been drawn over the N10.3bn road construction awarded by the governor of Bauchi state. Those making the noise are ignorant of the project and they didn’t care to check for the facts, rather they are doing it to create unnecessary tension, to get cheap publicity and to blackmail innocent God-fearing citizens and patriots.
“The critics failed to check the design, to put the record straight the road is a dual carriage way is a two lane going and two lane back, separated by a concrete caves and drainage on both side of the road.
“Thus, the road is about 22km long, same 22km concrete drainage, 11km on sides, culverts and compensation. When you take all these into consideration, 1km may be somewhere around N500 million. Compare this with the federal government rates, which is much higher. It is around N2.5 to N3billion a km.”