Adamawa govt seeks NEDC’s aid to reconstruct 3 bridges destroyed by insurgents

The Adamawa State Government has urged the North East Development Commission (NEDC) to rebuild three bridges destroyed by Boko Haram insurgents in 2014 so as to reconnect Adamawa and Borno communities.

The affected bridges include that of Dilichim, Wuro Ngayende and Kuzum under Michika, Madagali and Damboa road projects respectively.

Daily Trust reports that residents in the areas have being finding it difficult to engage in their business activities following the invasion of Michika and Madagali and the destruction of the three bridges by Boko Haram insurgents in 2014, which made them captured Mubi North, Mubi South, Hong and Gombi local government areas at the peak of the insurgency.

It was gathered that though the state government had awarded the 92km roads in the first quarter of 2017 for the sum of N14billion, the construction works to link the roads are yet to reach 10 percent.

Adamawa state governor, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, who seeks NEDC’s intervention over the slow pace of the work, lamented that the reconstruction may take 20 years as only N240million was earmarked for them in the state’s 2020 budget.

“The commission has agreed to help with funding for the completion of the project. It will be made a priority since funding was stalling the project and the Adamawa state government has requested NEDC’s intervention on the bridge as its own project share of intervention by the commission,” he said.

He reiterated that the state government had asked the commission to assume funding so as to fix the bridges.

“The MD NEDC has graciously agreed to have our request approved. Very soon, we will talk with the Federal Ministry of Works so that the NEDC will take over the funding of these bridges which will form part of the project share of Adamawa state.

“It has been like this for the past five years in that state of unrepair. You can’t put N240 million on this project and expect it to be performing. We have about three of these bridges in Dilichim, Kudzum and Wurogyandi. We may have to wait 20 years without NEDC coming to help us,” Governor Fintiri added.