Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State has commissioned 21 completed road projects and initiated 78 in total, despite challenges inherited from the previous administration.
The Commissioner of Public Works and Infrastructure, Ibrahim Hamza, disclosed this during a ministerial briefing at Sir Kashim Ibrahim House. He said the government faced issues such as unpaid contractors, over-invoicing, and lack of proper documentation.
“Since this administration took over 22 months ago, we have made remarkable progress despite the challenges in the Ministry and its parastatals,” Hamza said.
He explained that many contracts awarded by the previous government had no documentation, while others were over-inflated or had no records at all.
“We have largely overcome these challenges, including liabilities, vandalisation, and improper documentation. Some contracts were given without records, some were over-inflated, and some contractors had been fully paid without completing their projects,” he added.
Despite these problems, Hamza confirmed that 21 of the 78 road projects covering 775 kilometres had been completed, improving economic activities in the state’s 23 local government areas.
He also announced the launch of the Kaduna Bridge completion, which links Kabala Costain to Aliyu Makama Road. The project aims to ease traffic congestion on Ahmadu Bello Way-Junction Road, one of Kaduna’s busiest routes.
Hamza revealed that the state’s Urban Renewal Programme, introduced by the previous administration, was troubled by financial liabilities. Some contractors, he said, had received full payments but had not completed their projects, while others made exaggerated claims.
“Some contractors were paid enough to complete their projects, but they didn’t, and they were still making outrageous claims,” he lamented.
He said the administration carefully reviewed these claims before deciding how to continue with unfinished projects.
“We had to sit down, assess the situation, and find a way forward before continuing those projects,” he said.
Hamza also spoke about problems in the water sector. He said the administration inherited a struggling water supply system, with capacity at less than 5%. However, after declaring a state of emergency in the sector, the capacity has now improved to 30%, with a target of 100% by the end of the year.
“A lot of money was invested in water projects by the previous administration, but the results did not match the investment,” he noted.
He said Kaduna had taken major loans for water projects, including $81 million from the Islamic Development Bank, $101 million from the African Development Bank, and a ₦17.2 billion investment from the federal government.
To fix the problem, the government has injected over ₦25 billion into the sector since September 2023. By the end of 2024, total investment in the water sector is expected to exceed ₦100 billion.
The government has also settled outstanding debts, including ₦800 million in unpaid salaries for Kaduna Water Corporation staff and a ₦1.3 billion electricity bill.
“By December 2024, we are hopeful that we will achieve 100% water supply and ensure full capacity utilisation of all our plants,” Hamza promised.
The Kaduna State government says it remains committed to improving infrastructure and public utilities while addressing financial burdens inherited from past administrations.
