By Akanimo Sampson
The Abuja-Abaji-Lokoja road users are not likely to suffer the horrifying experience of last December this year again. This is because the dualisation of this busy federal highway is set to be completed this coming December.
Director of Highway, Construction and Rehabilitationf the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, Funso Adebiyi, an engineer, announced this during an inspection tour of the Zuba-Gbwagbwalada-Sheda section of the road.
Adebiyi guaranteed that the road project has attained various stages of completion and that it will be completed within the stipulated time.
The contract for the dualisation of the 196 kilometers Abuja-Lokoja road was awarded in four sections under the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo back in 2006 with a completion timeline of 30 months.
The four sections are Juba to Sheda (42 kilometers), Sheda to Abaji (57 kilometers), Abaji to Kotonkarfe, and Kotonkarfe to Lokoja. The first and the second sections were awarded to DANTATA & SAWOE Construction Company (Nigeria) Ltd. and Reynolds Construction Company (RCC Nigeria) Limited respectively, while the third and the fourth sections were worn by Bulletine Construction Limited and Gitto Costruzioni Generali Nigeria Ltd.
Valued at a total cost of N42.3 billion at the time of award, the contracts have gone through various contracts’ variation with each succeeding minister at the Ministry of Works and Housing which have seen the cost witness several upward reviews over time.
The Abuja-Abaji-Lokoja Federal Highway is one of the roads that play a very important role in the being of the West African nation in terms of movement of goods, people, and other necessities through vehicular transportation.
It links the entire southern region of the country to the seat of the power i.e. the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), and to the rest of the Northern states.
