The Federal Government Thursday said the contracts for the dualisation of the 196km Abuja-Abaji-Lokoja Highway would be completed by December 2021.
The contracts were awarded in 2006 by the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
Director of Highway, Construction and Rehabilitation, Ministry of Works and Housing, Funso Adebiyi, announced the December 2021 completion deadline yesterday during the inspection tour of section one of the project (Zuba-Gbwagbwalada-Sheda axis).
He said the government was committed to reducing crashes on the highway.
Adebiyi said: “This road links South-west, South-east, South-south to Abuja. We want to make sure that the number of accidents on this road is reduced to the barest minimum. The quality of the work has been engaging, the pace is too slow.
“The contracts, which were awarded to four contractors to the total sum of N42.3bn has gone through various contracts’ variation with each succeeding minister at the Ministry of Works and Housing effecting one amendment or the other. For example, the initial of section 1 was N11.2bn; section 2, N9.6bn; section three, N9.6bn as well as section four which gulped N11.9bn, respectively.”