The Federal Ministry of Works and Housing has assured that the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano highway renovation will be finished by the first quarter of 2024.
Mahmuda Mamman, the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, offered the promise on Friday during an assessment of the road and other ongoing federal road projects in Kaduna State.
Mamman made a trip of the 375.9 kilometre dual carriageway route, which runs from Abuja to Kaduna, then to Zaria and then to Kano in the North-West zone.
During the inspection tour, the Permanent Secretary attributed the late completion of the road project which was awarded since 2017 to insecurity and funding challenges, which he said are being sorted out to ensure that the contractor delivers the project next year.
The essence of the inspection according to him is to assess the progress made so far by the contractor handling the Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano Road project, Messrs Julius Berger Nigeria Plc.
Among other challenges identified by Mamman and the project manager during the inspection are the issue of funding, insecurity, and weather conditions, which they noted had largely slowed down the project.
The Permanent Secretary also inspected the ongoing reconstruction work on the Kaduna Western bypass road, expressing disapproval of the slow pace of work by the contractor handling the project.