The Niger State Governor, Dr. Babangida Aliyu, has decried the slow pace of work on the Minna to Abuja road project being funded by the Federal Government.
Aliyu said the project, started about two years ago, has not reached any appreciable level of completion resulting in unnecessary delays of motorists
According to him: “The road has been long overdue.
“The Federal Government should act fast on the road because the slow pace looks deliberate.”
Exchanging views with the Commander of the Nigeria Air Force base in Minna, Air Commodore Dahiru Lawal Sanda, who paid him a courtesy call at the Government House on Wednesday, Aliyu said it now takes between two and a half hours and three hours for motorists to travel between Minna and Abuja, a journey that should normally last just 45 minutes.
He therefore called on the Federal Ministry of Works to monitor the job properly to ensure the contractor executes it to the satisfaction of the people and the government and to save innocent lives being lost on the road on daily basis.
Aliyu also lamented the neglect of the Minna airport, which he said was supposed to be an alternative to the Abuja airport, asking that the relevant authority should make the airport functional.
According to him: “Travelling by air from Minna to Abuja will last just 30 minutes if the airport is made very functional.”
He however called for more collaboration between the State Government and the Nigeria Air Force, especially in the operation and utilization of the Minna airport.
Earlier the new Commander of the Nigeria Air Force Base, Minna, Air Commodore Dahiru Lawal Sanda, had appreciated the government for the positive role it has played to make the base functional, especially the construction of a 400 meter road and a bridge within the base.
Sanda however pleaded with the state government to “give us some time” to get accommodation for the officers who are staying in government quarters that have now been sold.
He said that relevant contacts with the headquarters had been made to ensure the officers quit the quarters within the next three months.
He also said that to avoid clash between the civil society and the NAF personnel, the Command has begun the relocation of junior officers to the barracks.
Following a recent reshuffle by the NAF High Command, the former Commandant of the Air Force Base in Minna, Air Commodore Zakari Sani, has been posted to Lagos.
