Apo-Karshi Road no longer feasible – FCT minister
Taofeek Lawal, Abuja
Minister of federal Capital Territory(FCT), Muhammad Bello, has said that the much-talked about 13.25 km Apo-Karshi Road earlier slated to be completed before this year’s raining season may not be feasible any longer.
The minister had on February 17, 2021 assured the road would be completed before the commencement of the rain.
The minister stated this while briefing State House correspondents after the weekly Federal Executive Council meeting (FEC) presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo. He said information available to him now is different from the one he had at the time he made the promise.
“Thank you very much for the question on the Apo-Karshi road. I made that statement here a few weeks ago based on information available to me at that time but it is very obvious now that based on the reality on ground and the challenges being faced by the contractor including funding which we are trying to resolve, it is likely that we would not be able to meet the target I earlier set up for making sure that that road gets opened before the raining season. But, you can be rest assured that is a road that is so important to all of us in the city and we will keep on pushing on to see that it Is done,” the minister said.
Bello had said the road which was first awarded in 2011 to Kakatar Engineering Limited, a company owned by Azibaola Robert, under former President Goodluck Jonathan administration will be completed and open for public use before this year’s rainy season. He had blamed error of design whereby a huge rock outcrop on the alignment of the road for the delay in the completion of the road. The road was designed to ease the gridlock at the AYA-Nyanya-Mararaba section of the Abuja-Keffi road that links the Abuja metropolis with some densely populated satellite towns including Karshi, and neighbouring Nasarawa State.
The award of the contract by the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) 2011 was for a sum of N6.4 billion (N6,355,609,124.53). The scope of contract was to include site clearance and earthworks; construction of culverts (pipe and box) of various sizes; drainages; construction of two bridges of 3-span (45m) and 5-span (75m); rehabilitation of one bridge; as well as pavement and surfacing.
