As part of its programme of strategic infrastructure development, the Kwara State Government has constructed over 600 kilometres of roads across the three senatorial districts of the state as a deliberate effort to open up the state for agricultural and economic development.
The state Commissioner for Works and Transport, Alhaji Amuda Kannike, stated this on Monday during a joint ministerial press briefing on the one year achievements of the Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed-led administration in the state.
Kannike said the roads, aimed at complementing government’s strategic priorities and enhancing people’s welfare, include over 350 kilometres of feeder and access roads, specifically to create a value chain for mechanised agricultural practices designed to drive the economy of the state.
The commissioner said most of the roads have been completed, while others are at various stages of completion.
He said some of the roads would be commissioned by Ahmed as part of activities to mark his first year anniversary in office.
Kannike also noted that most of the road projects embarked upon by the last administration in the state have been completed.
The commissioner said that the expansion work on Sango-Oyun Bridge axis of Old Jebba Road, a federal road was completed at a cost of N200 million to reduce traffic congestion on the road.
Other federal roads in the state, according to the commissioner, have received intervention from the state government because of its desire to make life more comfortable for residents of the state.
Kannike said the Kwara State Traffic Management Agency has been provided with equipment and other facilities for effective monitoring of traffic while six fire service trucks of the state fire service were renovated for effective service delivery.
The state Commissioner for Water Resources, Alhaji Idris Abubakar Garba, in his ministry’s score card said about 14 water works were rehabilitated by the state government in the last one year.
Garba said: “Thirty-eight water works were connected to the national grid while the state government purchased water chemicals worth N200 million for the treatment of water in the state.”
The commissioner added that about N1 billion has been earmarked for the ongoing water reticulation project, which is at 85 per cent completion stage.