By Favour Nnabugwu

KADUNA State Governor, Mr. Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa has decried the prolonged delay in completing the Kaduna Eastern Bye-Pass, while  calling on the Federal Ministry of Works to expedite action on the project to ensure its early completion.

Yakowa who visited the Ministers of Works, Mike Onolememen, an architect and Bashir Yuguda in Abuja, pledged to accord top priority to the development of the road sector in the state 2012 budget.

Eksiogullari Construction (Nig) according to the contract, should build the road around Kaduna, from Kakau village, to Zaria Road at N16 billion within three years, but nine years on, work on the road has not gone half way.

Minister of State for Works, Ambasador Bashir Yuguda who recently undertook an inspection tour of the project, gave the contractor up to November 30, 2011 to finish work on the 16 -kilometer stretch of Kaukau to Kachia Road and hand it over to government before the expiration of the deadline.

“Kaduna Eastern bypass road was awarded on November 24, 2002 with a completion deadline of November 23, 2005. Although there are budgetary constraints, the capability of the contractor has been called to question.

The Minister who noted that a number of federal roads had been failing explained that such failures have been receiving attention by Federal Roads Maintenance Agency, FERMA

Onolememen said the ministry is presently tackling some of the problems hampering the completion of the bye_pass.

“We are also concerned about the slow pace of work on that project but the ministry is working round the clock to give the project a new approach that will deliver the objective of the project for the benefit of the people of Kaduna and the entire Nigerians,” he said.