Kaduna addressing inherited liabilities, executing 78 road projects, says commissioner

Ibrahim Hamza, the commissioner for public works and infrastructure in Kaduna, says the state government has overcome most of its inherited liabilities, including unpaid contractors, over-invoicing, and a lack of documentation in road construction.

Speaking at the quarterly ministerial press briefing at the Sir Kashim Ibrahim House, Hamza said Uba Sani’s administration had to “think outside the box” to address the challenges while continuing existing projects and initiating new ones.

“Since the coming of this administration in the last 22 months, we have done remarkably well. We have tried, notwithstanding the challenges we encountered in the ministry and its parastatals,” the commissioner said.

He added that the government has awarded 78 road projects covering 775 kilometres in the past 21 months despite the setbacks.

Hamza said 21 out of the roads have been completed and are already in use, boosting economic activities across the state’s 23 LGAs.

“Last week, we launched the completion of the Kaduna Bridge from Kabala Costain to Aliyu Makama Road, which will ease traffic congestion on Ahmadu Bello Way-Junction Road,” he added.

Hamza criticised the urban renewal programme of the previous administration, saying liabilities hampered progress.

Some contractors, he said, received full payments but failed to complete their projects while still making additional claims.

“We had to sit down and find ways to resolve these issues. That is why we didn’t immediately continue such projects,” he said.

He also revealed that the government met the state’s water supply capacity at less than five percent but has increased it to 30 percent, with a target of 100 percent by year-end.

“A lot was invested in the water sector by the previous administration, but the results did not match the funds spent,” Hamza noted.

He disclosed that loans worth over $199 million were taken from the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) and the African Development Bank (AfDB), along with a federal government reform fund of $17.2 billion, yet the water supply remained poor.

To tackle the problem, he said Sani declared a state of emergency in the water sector, leading to improved supply.

He noted that the administration has also paid N800 million in salary arrears to Kaduna Water Corporation staff and settled an outstanding electricity bill of N1.3 billion.

“Between September and December last year, over N25 billion was injected into the water sector. This year, we are spending over N100 billion. By December, we expect 100% water supply efficiency,” he said.