Bauchi Gov Flags-off N23.3 Billion Rural Roads
BY KHALID IDRIS DOYA, Bauchi
Bauchi State Governor, Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed, has flagged off the construction of rural roads connecting rural communities across the state, totaling 115.0 kilometers.
The roads include 33.33km Charachara – Ragwam – Magwamshi – Lafiya road; 25. 80km Mainamaji – Badara – Kuka – Pali road; 25km Garin Gumi – Gadai – Maduga road; 18.88km Hardawa – Gwaram – Akuyam road; 15km Durum – Nahuta road.
Speaking while performing the ground breaking ceremony in Hardawa, Misau Local government on Wednesday, Governor Bala Muhammad said the rural road construction project is expected to have a significant impact on the lives of rural communities, improving access to markets, healthcare, and education.
The governor said that Bauchi was among the first-three of the 19 states in the federation that fulfilled the legal requirements of passing the law to establish the state access rural authority (RARA) and the State Roads Fund (SRS).
The Governor said, “I am particularly delighted to note that the RAAMP project has package a bundle of carefully selected rain of intervention that would spread across the geo-political zones of our state to be delivered within the implementation period”.
This, according to the governor, is in consonance and giving more impetus to the already numerous rural roads that we are implementing even before the state joins the RAAMP project.
The project, awarded to Habibu Engineering Ltd, aims to improve rural access and agricultural marketing in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security and the World Bank.
He emphasized his administration’s commitment to rural transformation, pledging to ensure prompt payment of counterpart funds for the project’s success.
Bala Muhammad urged the construction firm to execute the project according to contract specifications and encouraged community members to support the project.
Earlier, Bauchi State Commissioner of Rural Development and Special Duties, Faruq Mustapha, revealed that the ministry has identified over 4,000 rural roads for construction under the RAAMP-supported project.
He praised Governor Mohammed’s commitment, stating that Bauchi State has been ranked one of the best implementing states among the 19 states where the RAAMP project is being implemented.
In a remark, the National Coordinator of RAAMP Project, Engineer Aminu Bodiga, commended Governor Mohammed for his commitment to rural transformation through prompt payment of counterpart funds.
He emphasized the project’s objective of opening up communities at the grassroots, improving living standards, and enhancing economic opportunities.
