The Boko Haram insurgency has continued to hamper road construction in Borno State as seven major road constructions have had to be suspended because of the dire security challenge.
Due to the insurgency, which, at its peak, had 22 of the 27 local governments of the state overran by the terrorist groups, several billions of naira were lost as a result of massive destruction of infrastructure by Boko Haram.
Addressing a press conference, the Borno State Commissioner of Works and Transport, Adamu Lawan, said seven major rural based projects remain abandoned even with the recapture of the 22 local governments, which were occupied by the insurgents at the peak of their expansionist reign in the troubled state.
According to him, some of the areas with the abandoned projects were yet to be cleared by the military and it was impossible to get contractors back on site, Thisday reports.
The projects, Adamu said, included construction of selected roads and drainage in remote parts of Maiduguri, Jere and Mafa local government areas; construction of road from Gamboru to Wulgo in Ngala Local Government Area, construction of dual carriageway between Gamboru and Ngala towns and construction of roads and drainage within Gamboru and Ngala towns.
He said that also abandoned were the construction of roads and drainage in Dikwa town, construction of Dikwa-Gulumba-Banki road, construction of Wandeo-Chul-Mussa-Hyum-Dike-Lassa road and construction of road between Baga town to Doro.
The commissioner said that traffic lights would be erected during this year at 28 locations within the state capital. This he said will cost N300 million.
Adamu said that, in order to address the shortage of accommodation, to cater for the need of visitors to the state and public use, the government had acquired nine additional properties.
He said that 25 projects were completed in 2017 and 14 others, which were still on-going, promising that eight roads have been proposed for construction through concession.
