We ‘ll spend over N91bn on road construction in Katsina – Dandagoro, Works Commissioner

The State Commissioner for Works, Housing and Transport, Hon. Tasi’u Dahiru Dandagoro, who is as old in the office as the Masari government, says the state capital is set to have among others its maiden inter change bridges and flyover simultaneously 35 years after the state’s creation. For over seven years, Dandagoro said, in this interview with ANDY ASEMOTA on the sidelines of Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) zonal conference in Katsina recently where he represented Governor Masari,  the Katsina road projects had been taking by storm beginning with inherited ones before the All Progressive Congress  – led administration initiated ones ranging from construction, reconstruction, upgrading and rehabilitation works. Excerpts:

Sir, you highlighted awhile ago some milestones of Gov. Masari administration in the area of on road projects to date, how has the journey been?

I believe you have been following the press statements from the Ministry of Works and the Katsina State Government. When we came on board as administration, we we inherited quite a number of projects from the previous administration where this administration spent between seven to eight billion naira on the completion of the road  projects. The current government also embarked on the construction of new surface dressed roads and they are 19 in number and they will cost the state government over N43.3 billion. As I am talking to you, more than 10 have been completed and even commissioned by President Muhammadu Buhari.

We also have another category of roads. When you go across the state, you will identify or realize that most the existing roads that were in dilapidation but the state government under the leadership of Gov. Aminu Bello Masari identified 17 of the existing road projects with a total length of 454km and the government will spend over N23.6 billion on their rehabilitation and upgrading:

Rehabilitation by putting them back to their normal status and upgrading by putting additional layer of surface dressing because they  were initially constructed with a single layer of surface dressing with the intention of putting asphalt overlays when the money is available.

Unfortunately, the previous administration was unable to put the second coat, that was why immediately the gravels were washed away from their positions,water percolated into the soil and eventually their foundations that led to pot holes that we used to experience in the roads.

How many roads are you doing to impact meaningfully on Katsina rural feeder roads?

That is another category where the state government identified 39 feeder roads across the state and the government is spending over N2.831 billion on their construction.

Can sum up the financial implications of what you hope achieve?

A: When you sum up the money spent on the inherited road projects, the money spent on surface dressed roads, the amount expended on the rehabilitation and upgrading of the existing roads and also the money to be spent by the government on the provision of rural feeder roads, you will get about N91 billion. This is the commitment I summarized when I delivered the governor’s speech at this very important conference.