From Umar Danladi Ado, Sokoto
The Sokoto State Government says it has awarded contracts for the construction of 1,365 kilometres of rural roads across the 23 Local Government Areas, while another 530 kilometres have been identified for execution.
The Special Adviser to Governor Ahmed Aliyu Sokoto on Rural Roads, Hon. Malami Muhammad Galadanchi, disclosed this in Sokoto while highlighting the achievements of the administration in the rural roads sector from 2023 to date.
He said some of the 1,365 kilometres of roads had been completed and commissioned, while others had been completed and were awaiting commissioning.
The remaining projects, he added, were at various stages of completion.
Galadanchi explained that the roads were being executed under three categories: asphalt, surface dressing and feeder roads.
He cited the 9.5-kilometre Gada-Illah-Gari-Dutse-Tabanni Road as one of the projects, alongside several road projects in Tambuwal Local Government Area totalling more than 100 kilometres.
These include the 23-kilometre Dogondaji-Nabaguda-Yagawal-Tambuwal Road and the 21.18-kilometre Faga-Alasan-Romon Liman Road, among others.
The Special Adviser further disclosed that about two months ago, the state government directed the department to identify another 530 kilometres of rural roads, adding that consultants had already been engaged to design the projects.
“When the 530 kilometres are added to the ongoing 1,365 kilometres, the total will reach 1,895 kilometres of rural roads under the present administration,” he said.
He also revealed that the government was constructing three modern markets in Illela, Gada and Bodinga Local Government Areas, each comprising a grain market and an abattoir.
Galadanchi added that one of the markets would be ready for commissioning within the next one to two months.
The Special Adviser commended Governor Ahmed Aliyu Sokoto for according priority to the administration’s 9-Point Smart Agenda, which includes the provision of quality rural roads across the state.
Explaining why the administration was prioritising rural roads, Galadanchi said the projects were critical to improving access to education, healthcare, farms and markets.
“Without roads, people cannot go to school, access hospitals or move farm produce to the market.
“Nothing can be done without a road. You cannot go to the hospital. You cannot even take hospital equipment.
“We want to have access. Access to the towns, access to the market, access to the farms. That means we are creating access to the world,” he stated.
On expenditure, Galadanchi said payments were being made to contractors as certificates were submitted, but added that he would need to consult the records before providing exact figures.
Speaking on the 2027 general elections, he said rural communities in Sokoto State had seen the impact of the administration and would vote for continuity.
“The communities have been demanding some of these roads for between 40 and 70 years and are now getting them. It is a matter of ‘seeing is believing’,” he added.
He appealed to the people of Sokoto State to continue supporting Governor Ahmed Aliyu Sokoto to enable the administration to deliver more dividends of democracy.
