Residents of the Saura-Nike community in Keffi Local Government Area are lamenting the abandonment of a 7.3km road project which was first initiated in 2015, Despite budget allocations spanning nearly a decade the project remains in ruins. JAMES APARSHE reports
The residents of the Saura-Nike community in the Keffi Local Government Area of Nasarawa State have continued to decry the state of abandoned road projects that have left their community isolated.
In 2020, the Nasarawa State Government approved the construction of a bridge and a 7.3-kilometer road which began from the most popular Keffi stadium to Saura. Six years after that approval and over a decade since the project first appeared in the state records, the road remains unfinished. The abandonment has left residents frustrated, as the daily struggle to access healthcare and markets continues.
The Allocation
A review of Nasarawa State budget and contractor arrears records by this reporter reveals that the state has released significant funds for this project. The contract was officially awarded to Messrs Dalma Engineering Exp Limited on March 25, 2015, for N356.5 million (N356,521,775.)
Records indicate that in 2019, the state government allocated N1 billion for the Keffi-Saura-Nike road, releasing N34.1 million (34,188,608.08) that same year. In 2020, an additional N64.1 million was paid to Dalma Engineering.
Conflicting Contractors and Missing Addresses
When our reporter visited the project site in May, a signpost indicated that the project was under the Nasarawa State COVID-19 Action Recovery and Economic Stimulus (N-CARES) rural road rehabilitation program, with Amsynergy Nigeria Limited listed as the contractor.
Sign post showing award of contract, numbers of kilometers awarded(Photo credit-James Aparshe).jpgSign post showing award of contract, number of kilometers awarded (Photo -James Aparshe)
However, the initial state documents reviewed by this reporter list the project under the supervision of the Ministry of Works, Housing and Transport, with the contract originally awarded to Dalma Engineering Exp Ltd.
Efforts to track down Dalma Engineering proved abortive. Although the company’s website lists its address as Plot 376, Kurudu Residential Layout, FCT Abuja, a physical search of the area by this reporter yielded no results. Residents of Kurudu claimed to have no knowledge of the company’s existence at that location, and no other contact information was available on the firm’s website.
Conversely, Muhammed Amad, listed as a shareholder with Amsynergy Nigeria Limited, told our reporter via telephone that his firm’s scope was limited.
“The scope of work awarded to us was for culverts and the grading and expansion of access roads for the community. You can verify that at the FADAMA office in Lafia,” Amad said. “We were not in charge of the bridge. Our agreement was for the grading and culverts to make the road accessible, which we have done”, he stated.
The Human Cost
While the bridge is physically present, the road leading to it is in a deplorable state. For Abdullahi Saidu, an Okada rider, the road is a daily nightmare.
“This road was a death trap for us. When they restarted work in 2023, we were all anticipating completion, but this is what we see.” He added that during the rainy season, it becomes nearly impossible to transport farm produce or rush residents to the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) in Keffi, the nearest healthcare facility.
Abdullahi, showing dilapidated culvert (Photo credit-James Aparshe)
Another resident, speaking on condition of anonymity, expressed cynicism regarding government promises. “When you go round the state, you see a series of uncompleted projects where sufficient resources have been spent. The government is not doing anything to finish them,” he lamented.
Government Response
The project’s supervisory agency, the Nasarawa State Urban Development Board, did not respond to multiple calls and messages regarding the project’s status.
However, an official within the agency, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told our reporter that all unfinished projects are being prioritized. “Most of these projects have been recaptured in the 2026 budget. Works have been approved in stages, and the road will be completed soon,” the official claimed.
What is N-CARES?
The Nasarawa State N-CARES project is a World Bank-backed initiative designed to restore livelihoods and maintain food security following the COVID-19 pandemic. While it aims to provide basic infrastructure like drainage and rural road rehabilitation, the state of the Keffi-Saura road suggests a significant gap between the program’s objectives and its execution on the ground as observed during our onsite visit in May.
The post SPECIAL REPORT: Despite multiple budgetary allocations, Nasarawa road project remains uncompleted 11 years after appeared first on Latest Nigeria News | Top Stories from Ripples Nigeria.
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