Just like the Kuje-Gwagwalada Road, the 13.25km Apo-Karshi road is yet to be completed after it was awarded in 2011 by the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) under the administration of the former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Bala Mohammed. Daily Trust on Sunday takes a look at the state of the 11-year-old project.
The Apo-Karshi stretch road was first awarded at the cost of N6.4 billion (N6,355,609,124.53) to an indigenous construction firm (Kakarta Engineering Limited), a company owned by Azibaola Robert, a cousin of former President Goodluck Jonathan.
The road project, according to the FCT administration, was to ease the perennial gridlock being experienced by motorists on the AYA-Nyanya-Mararaba-Keffi road.
However, the construction of the road later stopped after the 2015 general election, a situation, which resulted in a public outcry, especially among motorists/civil servants as traffic along the Nyanya-Mararaba-Keffi road worsens and almost becomes a nightmare.
On assumption of office as FCT Minister, Muhammad Musa Bello, on May 2015, ordered the contractor back to the site to continue with the construction of the Apo-Karshi road project, but since then, the completion of the road project has continued to witness a slow pace.
After the Federal Executive Council meeting on February 16, 2021, the minister had, while addressing newsmen, pledged that the Apo- Karshi road would be completed before the rainy season sets in.
Bello had attributed the delay in completion of the road project to the error of design whereby a huge rock outcrops on the alignment of the road.
“The Apo-Karshi road is a project that should have been completed by now. One of the main challenges faced in that road has to do with an error in the design whereby a huge rock outcrop on the alignment of the road corridor became very difficult to be able to arrange,” he said.
He added “But we are very happy to say it is now almost taken care of. I believe within a few months, hopefully before the onset of the rains this year, that road would be open, “the FCT minister told newsmen.
However, a visit by Daily Trust on Sunday’s reporter on Thursday showed that work on the 13 .25km stretch road was still on the slow pace especially on the rocky hill which workers of the construction firm are still battling to bring it down.
It was also observed that the road from Karshi – Wasa – Madalla, a section of the road, was still on stone base stage, while the remaining portion of the road is still in a deplorable stage.
Our reporter also observed that for some villagers who plied the road on motorcycles, on approaching the rocky hill, passengers disembark to enable the rider to climb the rocky hill to continue with their journey.
Daily Trust, however, observed that the FCT Minister’s target to complete the road project before the rain starts fully this year, may not be realistic due to heavy work that still remains undone, especially the construction of culverts on both sides, pipe boxes, drainage, which are yet to be carried out.
Yabuku Usman, a cyclist who spoke with our reporter, said it has always been tough for him to climb the rocky hill, adding that he has always asked his passengers to alight to enable him to climb the hill on speed to continue with his journey.
Source – Daily Trust
