FG pledges to complete Gombe-Biu road

Federal Government on Tuesday assured adequate funding of major federal roads including Gombe-Biu in Borno and other economic viable roads across the country.

The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, Mr Hassan Musa, gave the assurance in Abuja, while addressing the Chairman, House Committee on Appropriations, Rep. Mauktar Betara (APC-Borno)

The Chairman was accompanied by Reps Ahmadu Usman Jaha and Kabir Tukura on working visit to the ministry.

Musa told the lawmakers that the ministry had secured new funding for the Gombe-Biu road.

According to him, the road is set to be approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) alongside other selected federal roads across the country for completion.

“On behalf of President Muhammadu Buhari and the Minister, Mr Babatunde Raji Fashola, I want to confirm that we are creating a new funding for that road and the contractor will be given all necessary enablement to deliver.

“We have seen the dilapidated condition of that road and also the difficulties the people around the area are facing due to the condition of the road.

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“We are waiting for the rains to abate and hopefully as the rains are abating now we intend to engage all our contractors and make them to go to site to work assiduously.

”More so that we now have a sustainable funding window which would give them the opportunity to be paid immediately there works are certified,” he said.

Musa commended the lawmakers for the working visit to the ministry, saying that it provided ample opportunity to interact and to report back on what the ministry had been doing.

He pledged the ministry’s commitment to achieving its mandate for a better and developed Nigeria.

Earlier, Betara who led the delegation underscored the need to provide alternative funding of Gombe-Biu road.

Betara who expressed worry over the state of the road despite annual appropriation which he acknowledged was insufficient.

“What brought me this afternoon, I came in purposely because of our major road – Gombe-Biu road.

“The contract was awarded about six years ago, and the contractor is very slow on the work.

“At any time we had discussion with him, his own problem is funding, funding, funding because the funding issues for that kind of work cannot come through the budget.

“Though I am the Chairman of Appropriations Committee, but I have limits to how much I can put on a road in my constituency.

“So I decided to come and see the permanent secretary and the minister to plead and I am happy today, to be informed that there is a window for funding for Gombe-Biu road project on ground,” he said

The lawmaker said he would have a meeting with the contractors next week after the approval by the Federal Executive Council for further engagements. (NAN)