Residents of the Federal Capital Territory have called for the completion of the Apo-Karshi road before the expiration of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration.
They made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Abuja, saying the contractor handling the project should be mobilised back to site.
The Apo-Karshi Road project was awarded to Kakatar Limited, an indigenous company in 2011, with a completion period of 20 months but 11 years later, the project is yet to be completed.
Malam Hussein Ahmed, who works at a federal ministry in Garki, told NAN that government should consider the plight of commuters by completing it this time around.
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“I came to the Nyanya axis of the city in 2015 with the firm assurance from government that the road is a priority that will be completed before the end of the year.
“We are in the end of 2022 and the road is not completed. The daily exhaustion on us is bad for our health and work.”
Mr Silas Nwachukwu, a timber dealer at Kugbo, told NAN that the congestion had led to many mishaps on the road with many deaths and loss of property.
“Over the years, many accidents on this axis have been fatal, especially during the rush hour. The accidents are enough reason for government to complete this alternative road. The vehicular congestion on this road can make someone go mentally unstable,’’ he said.
An engineer, who pleaded for anonymity, said the only way to address the congestion on the Nyanya road is the construction of an alternative route.
He said every new administration had made promises to complete the road.
“The Abuja Masterplan did not envisage this large population following the same route at the same time. Civil servants and other residents follow this same road when going to and coming back from work.
“The Buhari administration should take the bull by the horn and complete this road to its glory. This is also a way of ensuring a good working environment for workers.
“Before the government moves its offices away from the city centre to other area councils, the Apo-Karshi road must be completed.
“In my opinion, the Apo-Karshi road should even be made a dual carriageway in order to address future expansion in the territory,’’ he said.
The site engineer for Kakatar, Chris Ihedigbo, said the company was constrained in completing the project because of the high cost of materials.
He said Kakatar was ready to complete the project the moment the FCT Administration agreed to the adjustment in the cost of the project.
Ihedigbo added that the company was, however, hopeful that the variation would be done soon, adding that it was the reason they were back on site even during the holidays.
“As you can see, we are working on the site today despite it being a public holiday. We have been given the assurance that the government intends to complete the project before leaving office in May.
“We have come far with this project, and I am assuring you that the moment we get the variation, it will be completed within 90 days.
“The biggest hurdle was the huge hill that constituted an obstruction to the road. This has been cut into and work will begin in earnest. In spite of the level of work, some residents have been using it like that.
“It is not our intention to delay the completion, but the challenges are way beyond us. We suffered losses to our equipment by vandals in the course of the work.
“Armed persons have been wreaking havoc by coming in the night to steal expensive parts of our equipment which are worth millions of naira,’’ he said. (NAN)
