By Maryam Ahmadu-Suka
The Federal Government has said ongoing road and energy projects across the states in the northern part of the country are indication of President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to balanced national development.
Malam Abdulaziz Abdulaziz, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Public Enlightenment, stated this on Thursday while dismissing claims that Northern Nigeria has been neglected in infrastructure development by the Tinubu’s administration.
Abdulaziz spoke during an inspection of the Kaduna Western Bypass and other ongoing federal projects in Kaduna.
The inspection formed part of a regional tour of Federal Government projects in northern states aimed at assessing progress on key infrastructure.
Abdulaziz said the exercise was intended to provide first-hand information on ongoing projects and counter what he described as misinformation suggesting that the current administration had concentrated development in other parts of the country.
“We embarked on this tour because seeing is believing. What we have witnessed over the past four days clearly shows that claims that the North has been abandoned are not supported by facts.
“Virtually all the major Federal Government projects we have visited are active construction sites, and work is progressing steadily,” he said.
He explained that the 21.5-kilometre Kaduna Western Bypass, initially awarded under the Federal Government’s tax credit scheme in 2021, witnessed limited progress until the Tinubu administration reviewed tax credit projects and directed contractors to accelerate work.
According to him, the project, when completed, will ease movement for commuters travelling between Abuja and the North-West states, including Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Jigawa, Kebbi, Sokoto and Zamfara.
He expressed optimism that the project would be completed by December 2026.
Abdulaziz said the bypass would reduce travel time, improve road safety, lower vehicle maintenance costs and stimulate economic activities across the region.
He added that other major projects, including the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) Gas Pipeline, Kano Northern Bypass and the Zaria-Funtua-Gusau-Sokoto Road, were progressing steadily.
According to him, the AKK Gas Pipeline will boost industrialisation, improve energy supply and create employment opportunities across Northern Nigeria.
“The AKK project is a game changer because it will revive industries, provide cleaner energy and support economic growth across the region,” he said.
Also speaking, the Project Manager of Dantata and Sawoe Construction Company, Engr. Cumhur Kesan, said work on the Kaduna Western Bypass was progressing despite challenges posed by the rainy season and traffic management.
He said the contractor remained committed to delivering the project by December.
Representing Dangote Industries Ltd., Engr. Jonathan Obrusu said funding was no longer a challenge, adding that technical issues had been addressed to ensure timely completion of the project.
Chief Resident Engineer of the Federal Ministry of Works for the Western Bypass, Engr. Jibril Zubairu, said the project had attained about 50 per cent physical completion and 35 per cent financial completion.
He expressed confidence that the dual carriageway project, covering about 21.5 kilometres, would be completed before the end of the year.
Zubairu said the project would improve traffic flow around Kaduna metropolis and strengthen connectivity along the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano transport corridor.
A motorist, Ayuba Ibrahim expressed relief over the road project which he said has eased the traffic usually experienced on the road.
The SSA also inspected the Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) outlet along the Kaduna-Abuja Road where tricycle riders expressed delight over the availability and affordability of the gas as compared to Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) otherwise known as petrol. (NAN)
