Taraba residents decry low quality of work on N34bn govt road

EMMANUEL AWARI, Jalingo

Residents of Taraba State have decried what they called poor quality of work being carried out by Craneburg Construction, the company handling the 18 kilometres dual carriageway in Jalingo, the State capital.

A resident of Kufai in Jalingo told our correspondent that the N34 billion contract is being poorly executed as sections of the road being constructed were being patched by cement.

Another resident of Nukkai, Aminu Yawai, lamented that the poor compartment of the road was responsible for the failed sections being witnessed on the newly-constructed road.

“The N34 billion project is being sourced from taxpayers’ money and we will not accept the kind of job the contractor is doing. How can you explain the situation where a contractor is patching the road with cement in an ongoing construction? Why not do a proper job?

“The poor work being executed by the contractor is an embarrassment to the government and people of Taraba. The contractor must do a better work or risk mass protest”, Yawai said.

A staff of the Ministry of Works and Transportation, the Ministry supervising the project, told our correspondent on a condition of anonymity that the failed sections of the newly-constructed road was an embarrassment to the Ministry and the government.

According to him, the contractor was initially buying asphalt from another contractor in the neighbouring Adamawa State and the problems arose from the poor mixture.

“They are also supposed to cut the failed sections, excavate and do proper compartment before redressing it. We are supervising the project and we told them what to do”, he said.

When contacted, the Project Manager of Craneburg construction, Dani Mansour, blamed the rainy season for the failed sections of the road and promised that the company would deliver quality work.

“Many contractors don’t do work during the rainy season because of some of these issues, but we are doing the work because we don’t want to delay the project. We are going to deliver the project on schedule and correct all the deficiencies being witnessed as a result of the rain”, Mansour stated.

Commenting on the issue, the State Commissioner for Works, Hon. Irmiya Ibrahim, assured that the dual carriageway being undertaken by Governor Darius Ishaku would be delivered in the best quality among Nigeria roads.

He said that the company handling the project, Craneburg, is known for the best quality services in the construction industry and would exhibit the same in the ongoing project in Jalingo.

“I want to assure the people of Taraba State that the road would be delivered in the best quality among Nigeria roads.

“The potholes on the ongoing project are due to excessive rain. Governor Ishaku is an architect and his desire to transform Taraba is the reason why he has embarked on this project and several others, completed and ongoing across the state.

“The project is still ongoing, it has not been completed and I see no reason for Tarabans to panic about the little potholes on the road.

“We know Craneburg for good jobs, I have discussed with the project manager about the potholes but the technical explanations he gave me were enough to be sure that the company would deliver the best job being expected by the people of Taraba and fulfil Governor Ishaku’s desires to giving the state the best he desires for.

“Governor Ishaku is a professional in the construction industry and would not award the contract to an unqualified company, the governor would not accept any substandard job for the state. His administration record of the completed and ongoing project is proof that quality service delivery is what he stands for.

“Craneburg was given the contract due to their records of delivering quality Jobs across the globe and I want to assure every citizen of Taraba that the company is going to deliver the best quality job that everyone is expecting,” the commissioner assured.

“The government of Governor Darius Ishaku is determined to complete and commission all ongoing projects in the state to lift Taraba on the path of Nigeria’s economic hub”, he said.

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