Business people, farmers, residents and commuters have for long been crying as the reconstruction of the Jabbi Lamba-Malabu Farang-Konkol-Belel road linking Adamawa State with Cameroon is yet to commence.
New videos of the terrible condition of the road are being circulated in social media indicating that the deteriorating condition of this road did not start today. It’s been a long time coming, since the year the road was constructed 39 years ago. Unfortunately, no repair work was undertaken on this road even by FERMA which applies palliative measures only.
A member representing Fufore/Song Federal constituency, Hon. Sadiq Ibrahim Dasin, moved the motion for reconstruction of the road on November 17, 2015. As a result, the House Committee on Legislative Compliance forwarded it to the Ministry of Works and Housing for compliance and the road was captured in the 2018 budget.
Consequently, today, records have confirmed that feasibility studies, reconnaissance survey and Inception Report on the road have been carried out by the engineering/design consultants appointed by the ministry. So in 2018 when the road first got into the budget, it was recorded as “new”. But in 2019 when I was still in the House, the road appeared in the budget as “on-going”. It also appeared as “on-going” in the 2020 and 2021 budgets.
It also confirmed that contract for the reconstruction of the road was awarded to China Yuan Skypond Ltd. on June 10, 2020 at the cost of N26.829 billion.
The contractor is, however, not yet on site owing to paucity of funds, showing monies allocated in the budget for the road inadequate and releases insufficient. In the meantime, people continue to suffer on the road as it further deteriorates, while time is going, just as inflation is galloping. The combined effects of these will mean that with cost overrun, the N26.829bn contract sum will eventually mean little for reconstruction of this road.
Yusuf Saidu Tara Konkol, Maiha LGA, Adamawa State [email protected]
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