By Debo Alabi, Lokoja
A socio-political organization, Yagba Action Group (YAG), has made a passionate and urgent appeal to the Federal Government for the outright reconstruction of the collapsed Kabba-Egbe-Ilorin federal road, which has become a haven for bandits, who are unleashing terror on those who live and travel along the road.
YAG, a pressure group based in Kogi State, noted that the federal road, which was constructed about 50 years ago, has received attention 33 years after, when it was rehabilitated through the initiative of the defunct Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF).
However, the group commended the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, for the inclusion of a section of it in the current palliative repairs of federal roads across the country.
YAG extended its commendation to the senator representing Kogi West, Sunday Karimi and member of House of Representatives for Yagba Federal Constituency, Leke Abejide for their roles culminating in the inclusion of Kabba-Egbe-Ilorin road in the 2024 Appropriation Bill, while urging proactive action towards finding a lasting solutions to the bad road through improved budgetry funding.
In a statement signed by its General Coordinator, Engr Toba Adebayo Belushi, YAG also made a solemn appeal to Mangal Industries Limited, owners of the newly established Mangal cement factory in IluHagba, Kogi State, to, as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) join in the efforts to fix the road.
While it admonished Senator Karimi and Hon Abejide not to relent in the joint efforts at lobbying the Federal Government and Mangal Industries Limited for immediate action, YAG enthused that the repair works in Yagba axis between Mopamuro and Yagba West Local Councils, which commenced in the last quarter of 2023, came as a huge relief to motorists and residents of the area, while also serving as an elixir for the socioeconomic woes of Yagba people occasioned by the deplorable condition of the road.
The group commended the contractors for doing a good job, while also calling for expedited action to ensure the repairs are completed during the dry season.
The statement partly reads: “According to the Works Ministry, this is just a palliative job, pending when the construction will be done. Lump sum provided for award of quick-wins for rehabilitation works during the dry season. Three different contractors are handling the job(s) in Mopamuro axis. YAG understands that the Kabba-Egbe-Ilorin road is in the 2024 appropriation bill, but due to the shrinking federal purse, alternative models were considered such as this special palliative repair programme initiated by the Hon Minister of Works, His Excellency Dave Umahi to ensure delapidated roads nationwide are motorable until funding is available for outright construction. This is in fulfilment of the announcement by the Hon Minister from earlier that palliative works on failed federal roads would commence on December 1, 2023.
“Through extensive lobbying by our representatives in the National Assembly, the section from Iluhagba to Ejiba was listed among other failed roads in the country earmarked for special palliative repairs while talks are ongoing for alternative funding for complete reconstruction.
“It is heartwarming to see the quality and pace of the work from Ejiba township heading to ECWA Seminary, about 5kilometres stretch. Similarly, work is ongoing in Mopa axis. We have information that in November 2023, additional N500m was allocated into the budget by the senate to ensure that the palliative job extends beyond Ejiba to Egbe this year. For travellers and residents who have endured the pains of coping with the hazardous impact of the dilapidated road over the years, the current action is a thing of joy and elixir of hope.
“We pray that the main construction will be done, going by budgetary allocations. In the likely best solution, we pray it will be concrete construction like Kabba Junction to Obajana. Information at our our disposal shows that the main plan is to concession the Kabba-Egbe-Ilorin road construction project to a private company on tax waivers. Towards this end, in the last quarter of 2023, our representative in the Upper Chamber of the National Assembly, Distinguished Senator Sunday Karimi had led the Managing Director, Mangal Cement Industries, Engr Fahad Mangal to broker a meeting involving the Hon Minister and Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriation, Senator Ali Ndume in continuation of discussions on the concessioning that would see Mangal handle the construction of the road from IluHagba to Ilorin. The arrangement, to the best of our knowledge, however, is yet to be firmed up. Once again, we are using this opportunity to appeal to all parties, the federal ministry of works, our representatives in the National Assembly as well as Mangal Industries Limited, to expedite action that could lead to the conclusion of the arrangement in good time”.