By Sani Sulaiman
For over two decades, the one hundred and three point five hundred and fifty-nine kilo metres length of the Jalingo-Numan Road has been in deplorable condition.
Grassroots Nigeria Correspondent Sani Sulaiman examined the current status of the road, which links southern Adamawa State with the northern Taraba State.
The poor condition of the one hundred and three point five hundred and fifty-nine kilo metres road led to the loss of lives of innocent citizens and destruction of properties worth billions of naira.
It is worth recalling that on the 24th of July, 2017, the Federal Government awarded the contract for the reconstruction of the road to Deux Project Limited at the sum of Eleven Billion Six Hundred and Fifty Million, Five Hundred and Seventy Thousand, Five Hundred and Thirteen Naira, Eighty-Nine Kobo, where twenty months were stipulated as the completion period.
It is also worth noting that Mr Babatunde Fashola was the then Minister of Works and Housing under the administration of the Late President Muhammadu Buhari when the contract was awarded.
Surprisingly, when Radio Nigeria visited the Numan local government area of Adamawa State, from the Jalingo local government area of Taraba State, to assess the current condition of the road, it observed that, for almost eight years, less than three per cent of the road construction has been completed.
It was further observed that presently, to and from Jalingo to Numan, there is no functioning equipment of a construction firm on the site, indicating that the company responsible for the work has neglected it and left.
Some road users who ply the road regularly shared their experiences on the hardship they encountered and called for a lasting solution.
“We are appealing to the Federal, Adamawa, and Taraba state governments, to as a matter of urgency, fix the road, so that it will easy our movement. We are also urging President Bola Tinubu to revoke the contract.”
Some passengers, who spoke to Grassroots Nigeria, also described the deplorable condition of the road as pathetic and urged both the Federal, Adamawa, and Taraba states governments to come to their aid.
It is hoped that the authorities concerned will take the necessary action to fix the road for economic development in the entire Northeast region.
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