Rainy Season: Kano Community Seeks Donations to ‘Sandfill’ Abandoned N381m Road Project
AREWA AGENDA – Three Months after the Economic Confidential Investigation that exposed how Kano state Government approved N381 million for 1-kilo metre abandoned section of Ado Bayero Road network in 2018, community members have commenced contribution of money to ‘sand fill’ and fix deplorable sections of the road to make it motorable in this rainy season.
The community forum has raised millions of naira and hired heavy trucks in fixing the road just to make it a bit passable self-project of the road.
When the Economic Confidential team visited the site which lacks an adequate drainage system, parts of the road are motorable after the community fixed some potholes, sinkholes, and uneven surfaces.
Alhaji Aminu Muhammad, a business owner lamented the agony of the abandoned road to their businesses.
“Sometimes ago, there was a heavy downpour which resulted to flooding that entered our shops and destroyed our goods, while so many residents were able to flush out the water that entered their house, others were entrapped in melancholy as they battled to fix how the flooding destroyed their stuffs,” Aminu added.
In a similar reaction, Mallam Umar Musa, another resident corroborated Aminu’s lament that the Government had abandoned them to their faith as they contribute money to ameliorate the situation.
“Every year, the community forum contributes a huge amount of money to maintain this. We just fixed part of the road a few weeks ago, but it is really a big burden, especially in this trying time of financial instability. We are still begging the government to come and fix this road”
A community leader, Alhaji Usman Aliyu, who has lived at Ado Bayero Road for over 15 years, had earlier said members of the community have tried through several means to get the Kano State Government to flag off the construction of the road project but all efforts have proved unsuccessful.
“For over 14 years we have been contributing money to maintain this road, and every year we spend millions of naira just to maintain the road. Sometimes we do it twice or thrice a year, depending on the amount of money we gather from these good members of the community.
“In 2019, there was an attempt to commence the construction of Ado Bayero Road, and we were told that the Government had approved and released funds because we saw heavy trucks camped at the site for about two weeks before they eventually disappeared. Ever since we have no idea what happened and we still do not know why the project has not taken off yet. But the metal square board of the project is still at the site” he added.
Background on the Abandoned Road Project
The initial investigation showed about 110 million naira was approved for the construction of Ado Bayero Road Network in Dorayi Babba, Gwale Local Government Area over a period of three years (2019, 2020 and 2021).
Meanwhile, 38 million naira was allegedly released in 2019 to StoneGate Quaries Limited, a company that is unknown to the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) to fix the popular Ado Bayero Road Network in Kano.
It was further confirmed that the total contract sum was over 381 million Naira at the time it was first awarded in 2018 as against the 110 million naira earmarked across the state’s financial budgets of 3 years.
Similarly, another document sighted by Economic Confidential revealed a signed and stamped payment voucher of 49 million Naira by the Civil Engineering Department of Kano State Ministry of Works, Housing and Transport to the Contractor- StoneGate Quaries Limited.
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While officials of the Ganduje administration have consistently declined to offer any explanation to the public on the missing gaps in the contract awards which were highlighted in the initial story, the construction company that was mentioned in the scandal whose record of registration was also not found in the Corporate Affairs Commissions (CAC) had earlier told Economic Confidential that they demobilized from the site as they were yet to receive any money from the state government despite having followed up and made an official request since 2019 for advance payment.
Who abandoned the Project? Commissioner for Works asked
Again, for the third time, the Kano State Commissioner for Works, Engr. Idris Wada Saleh declined to respond to any of our questions on the missing links in the contract.
In his reaction to the previous report of Economic Confidential, Engr Saleh simply replied: “who told you the contractor is not qualified and what is your problem with that? Is the work not done properly or he doesn’t pay his taxes?”
Three months after, while contacted about the situation of the road and the state’s government plans to complete the abandoned road project, the Commissioner only responded with the question: “Who abandoned the project, please?”
Economic Confidential had earlier reported that in a document (a letter dated 4th of December, 2018) sighted, a Provisional Award of Contract for the Construction of Ado Bayero Road Network, Dorayi Babba in Gwale local government area which was produced by the Kano State Ministry of Works, Housing and Transport, revealed the approval of the State Executive Council, chaired by Governor Ganduje, for the award of the above-mentioned contract to StoneGate Quaries LTD (Now, StoneGate Engineering Quaries Ltd) at the Cost of N381, 904, 640.43 (Three hundred and Eighty one million, Nine Hundred and Four Thousand, Six Hundred and Forty Naira, Forty-Three Kobo) only and completion period of 3 three months.
According to the findings, the N57, 285,696 (Fifty-Seven Million, Two Hundred and Eighty-Five Thousand and Six Hundred Ninety-Six Naira) was supposed to be an advance payment of 15 percent of the total contract sum payable to the contractor but according to the contract papers, the contractor had to pay N7,638,092 (Seven Million, Six Hundred Thirty-Eight Thousand and Ninety-Two Naira) as a tender fee to the coffers of the government before proceeding with the contract execution. Apparently, the contractor did not pay the sum and it was deducted from his 15 percent, so the amount of money raised in the payment voucher was N49, 647, 000 (Forty-Nine Million and Six Hundred and Forty-Seven Naira
Again, Questions begging for answers that the Kano state government must provide are: Since the contractor claimed he didn’t receive any money and had to leave the site without commencing work, where is the N38 million allegedly released for the purpose in 2019? What about the payment voucher of N49 million naira that was raised to be paid to the contractor as 15 percent take-off fee? At what point did the state government decide not to release the money to the contractor after a payment voucher was raised? Was the contract award a mere conduit pipe meant to raise money for some other purposes?
What about the long-suffering people of Dorayi Babba and the entire Gwale local government area who have had to bear the brunt of the terrible state of the very crucial Ado Bayero Road Network? What influenced the change of Name of the Company after obtaining the contract? When will work commence on the one-kilometre road which was projected to be completed in three months but is still in a state of disrepair after three years?
Credit: Economic Confidential
