By Wole Adedeji, Ilorin
The Kwara State government at the weekend said that 90 per cent of its ongoing 22 infrastructural projects, are contracted out to local contractors for execution, as against the previous order in the state.
Speaking with journalists at the weekend in Ilorin, during the inspection tours of some of the projects, the state Commissioner for Works, Engineer Suleiman Rotimi Iliasu, said that
projects like roads and flyover projects are located in the three senatorial districts of the state.
The commissioner disclosed that the state government had earlier collated a list of local contractors in the state at the inception, with the aim of patronizing them, adding, “We want indigenes of the state to get the best in what we are doing.
“We believe they will do well with strict supervision on our part in order to adhere to the scope of work as stipulated in the contract.
“Most of our road projects are being done by some local contractors, who have lots of other investments in the state spanning long years. Their workers are indigenes of the state. They are also indigenes of the state. We want Kwarans to get the best in what we are doing.”
Engineer Iliasu listed some of such projects to include the dualization of Yebumot-Adeta Roundabout-Oloje road, General Babatunde Idiagbon flyover at Tanke, Tanke-Oke Odo ring road, St. Claire’s road, Offa, Banni township road in Kaiama Local Government Area and Osi-Obbo Aiyegunle road in Ekiti Local Government.
Others are, the Abdul Azeez-Oja Oba road, Ilorin; Ibrahim Taiwo-Ita Amodu road, Ilesa-Baruba Gwanara road, Ilesa-Baruba township road, Owode-Ofaro-Alabe road, Oloru township road in Moro Local Government, Lanwa road, Otte and Eyenkorin roads, leading to Balah community in Asa Local Government Area.
Engineer Iliasu said most of the infrastructural projects were aimed to attract investors to the state, adding that investors always wanted to see what governments had on ground before they agreed come into the state.
He added, “Completion of the roads would make business thrive better. Markets along these roads would open more to encourage socio-economic development. Investors would want to come to Kwara State more.
“For instance, in Banni town, we did Maigida to Banni road in 2020, it opened up the already big Banni market the more, as more people now ply the road.
“Unlike in the past when people spend like three to four hours from Ilorin to get to Banni, the journey has been cut to one and a half hours. It also makes Kwara State to have better image as a state with good roads.
“We are proud to say that the roads would still benefit our people in the next 20 years.”
Also speaking at the the Babatunde Idiagbon flyover site at Tanke, the Chief Resident Engineer, Engr. Joseph Bamigboye, said that the flyover was a major project connecting four major axis of the state capital.
Engineer Bamigboye, who is also an Assistant Director in the Kwara State Ministry of Works, said that the flyover project would solve persistent traffic gridlocks in the area, “with about 80 per cent of the traffic volume from the University of Ilorin.”
He said that piling and relocation of pipelines, among other works, had commenced on the project, assuring the people of the state of high quality of all the jobs.
He added, “Two segments are involved in the flyover project, consisting of 54 metres bridge, 850 metres in and out landing and there’s approval of the NNPC because it is working with the state government.”
Also, at the Tanke-Oke Odo ring road project, Engineer Omolola Awolola, from the same Ministry of Works, said the 1.85 kilometre road with 7.3 metres width is a feeder road to cater for such densely populated and farming Balogun and Jalala communities.
Engineer Awolola said,
“It hopes to improve quality of life as the bad state of the road had discouraged investment and socio-economic development. The people that would benefit from the project have expressed joy that the completion of the roads in three months would improve quality of their lives.
“We intend to make all the roads world class standard. So, we call on our people living outside the state to come home and invest because the state is ready in terms of infrastructures.
“You can imagine going to Oyo State to bring in road equipment after exhausting local sources. I think our people can invest in that.”
