March 21, 2018

The Niger second Rural Access and Mobility Project (RAMP II), has earmarked one billion naira for the rehabilitation of 104-kilometre feeder roads across the state.

Mallam Hassan Etsu, the State Project Coordinator, made this disclosure in Minna on Wednesday after a bidding, which involved 30 companies that indicated interest in the road project.

“The financial implication of the 104-kilometre road project our contractors are bidding for today is one billion naira,’’ he said.

Etsu said that 13 Local Government Areas out of the 25 of them in the state would benefit from the project while others would benefit in the subsequent ones.

He listed the benefiting council areas to include: Mashegu, Magama, Kontagora, Lapai, Agaie, Gbako, Lavun, Wushishi, Rafi, Shiroro, Munya, Gurara and Bosso.

The state project coordinator said that the rehabilitation of the roads would involve expansion, surface dressing, construction of drainage channels and culverts.

He stated that the project would enhance the movement of farmers and their farm produce from the rural areas to urban centres.

Etsu said that the road rehabilitation was being done by the State Government in collaboration with the World Bank to improve the lives of rural dwellers.

“The project is 100 per cent funded by the World Bank. It is a credit from the World Bank which the State Government will pay,’’ he said.

He said that two weeks after the bidding, the winners would emerge transparently, adding that the award of the contracts would follow.

According to him, the rehabilitation work will be completed  in three months’ time.

Earlier, Dr Ibrahim Musa, the Permanent Secretary, state Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources, said that the bidding was part of the due process to ensure transparency in the award of contracts.

Also, Mr Fedalise Amajor, the Personnel Manager, S and M Nigeria Limited, one of the companies that attended the bidding, said that the exercise was transparent.

“The bidding went on fine, so it is now left for the committee in charge to look at our submissions and chose contractors,’’ he said.

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that five states; Niger, Osun, Enugu, Adamawa and Imo are participating in the RAMP.