Endure road construction pains, Niger tells residents

The Niger State Government has called on residents of the State capital to endure the hardship and discomfort caused by the reconstruction of  most of the roads in Minna, the state capital as part of the urban renewal programme of the governor, Mohammed Bago.

With the simultaneous construction of most of the roads in the capital, road users and commuters are compelled to find alternative routes to go about their daily routines. Therefore, this has put much strain on their ability to navigate the various destination as well as their economy as the cost of transportation has jumped by more than 100 per cent.

The Commissioner for Works and Infrastructural Development Suleiman Umar made the call on Wednesday during a press conference to update the residents of the state of the extent the ongoing work has gone and to appeal to them to endure the difficulties that the road diversions have caused.

The commissioner who was joined by his permanent Secretary, Hassan Etsu and directors in the ministry noted that the State has not witnessed any major construction for a long time until now that Bago has come to transform the state through roads reconstructions and other infrastructure developments.

He appealed to the residents to be patient with the state government and the construction firms handling the projects, saying that the work has a duration of 24 dry months. Umar added that the temporary closure of most of the major roads and routes was necessary to expedite action on the construction work.

He threw light on the scope of the work saying that apart from the reconstruction work on most of the roads, four flyovers would also be constructed at four major locations including; the former Citygate close to the new secretariat, Tunga Roundabouts, Chanchaga, and Mobil Roundabouts.

Also, apart from the state capital, the governor has embarked on road construction in other major towns in the state, such as Bida, Kontagora   and Suleja. He has also taken up the reconstruction of federal roads in the state with the understanding that the federal government would reimburse the state when the work is completed.

 The Permanent Secretary Etsu added his voice, noting that the reconstruction of the expressway work which cuts across the city centre begins from the Chanchaga Bridge and would terminate at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Airport Junction in Maikunkele.

He maintained that the work will not only transform the state but make it more attractive for both foreign and local investors.

“The essence of this press briefing today is to keep the public abreast of our activities of the ministry as it concerns the governor’s urban renewal work and the 100 kiliometre intra-city road projects particularly.

“In total, there are 550 kilometres of road under the Minna township roads.

“As a matter of policy, there is the need for us to keep the public abreast of where we are and to also seek for your indulgence. In every development, it comes with some hardship. This is what we will be witnessing because for a very long time, the state has not witnessed any major infrastructural update.

“I think this is the first time in the history of Niger State that we are witnessing this magnitude of infrastructural work in the state.

“Today, we want to brief you about the ongoing infrastructural work but particularly Minna.  What  you will be witnessing is erecting bridges, flyovers, and underpass in some key locations of Minna, and for us to achieve that, it will come with some little discomfort to the residents of Minna.

“We are building four major flyovers in order to provide succour to the commuters. That of Mobil has started, the contractors have blocked the Mobil road. It is not delibrate. It is for us to create some safety for the workers. That is why we have created alternative routes. The flyover is almost one kilometer. We know it is not going to be easy, that is why we are disseminating this information.’’

“The state is gradually being transformed not only in the capital but in the 25 local government areas of the state. So, a lot of construction work is ongoing, and that is why we have to be cautious. The hardship is going to be temporary. Safety is very, very important, that is why the governor stressed on the safety of the people. He wants to ensure that all the safety regulations are in place,” he insisted.

The Commissioner further addressed the issue of road users who are harassed on the alternative routes by hoodlums and disclosed that the Ministry has written to all the security agencies, including the police, State Security Service and Civil Defence.

He also assured that the security agents would put an end to such harassment.

The Commissioner urged the public to be aware of the new diversions and alternative routes as well as the new flyovers at the Mobil Roundabout spanning one kilometre from Mobil through Obasanjo Shopping Complex to Stadium Junction. He also pointed out that the road was diverted from Paiko Road Police Station through UK Bello to Sabongari Road.