INCESSANT attacks in Adamawa State and other parts of the North East has forced contractors to halt work on the Maiha-Fulbere-Zhedinyi-Pella Road, which would have provided a direct link between Nigeria and Cameroun.
The work on the 86-kilometre road, the contract of which was awarded in 2007 by the Nyako Administration to a Nigerian road firm, AG Vision at the cost of N2.9 billion, has not made significant progress due to security threats from terrorists.
Meantime, government has been forced to review the cost upwards twice from N7 billion in 2017 and to N8.2 billion. The road project was slated to be completed within a time-frame of two years when it was first awarded 14 years ago.
Arewa Voice correspondent notes that in spite of its bad shape, the road served as the only alternative route for people who escaped from the conflict zone when Boko Haram insurgents captured Mubi, the second largest town in Adamawa State in November 2014.
The road, when completed, will provide access for the movement of goods and services between many villages in Northern Adamawa and the Cameroon.
But the state government says it is determined to get the job done to realise the goal for which it was conceived. Officials of the administration, however, blamed the continued attacks by Boko Haram elements and inadequate cash flow as cause of the slow pace of work on the road.
Adamawa State Information Commissioner, Umar Abubakar, said work has started again on the road after some discussions between the state government and the construction firm.
“When we came on board, we realised that there was a lot of confusion around the contractual process and we had to sit down again with the contractors to sort out a number of things regarding the road contract. We ended up agreeing on terms that made them to mobilise back to the site.
Now, they are back on site and they are making progress on the road. They are also doing a good job based on what is going on,” the commissioner said.
However, findings by Arewa Voice show that the construction company has again halted construction work. The Site Engineer, Mr. Fracis Dzarma, confirmed that Governor Ahmadu Fintiri has asked the company to go back to site with a promise of paying them as they work.
Boko Haram had been very active and disruptive in Adamawa and other North-East states before the military dislodged them from most of the territories.