180 Benefit From N15bn Road Project
Some Nigerians are already counting their gains as ongoing N15 billion Pankshin-Gindiri Road construction project created jobs for over 180 people in the host communities.
Mr Kehinde Koya, the Plateau Federal Controller of Works, disclosed this on Saturday at the Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing inspection of the project.
Koya said the project was part of the present administration’s strategy to create jobs for the teeming unemployed youths in rural communities.
He said that through the project, people in the community had been exposed to more economic activities through infrastructural development.
The Federal Controller of Works said the 54km road project sponsored by the Federal Government is expected to create both skilled and unskilled employment for 184 people in the communities within the duration of the contract.
He said that the project had also generated business for food and recharge card vendors, among others.
“The Pankshin-Gindiri road is of great socio economic importance linking several agrarian communities along its route and facilitating smooth movement of economic crops and farm produce,” he said.
Koya said that the project, which started in August 2017, was awarded to an indigenous company, Metropolitan Construction Company and was expected to be completed in 2019.
“We have released N1billion as mobilisation fees to the contractor,’’ he said.
Mr Charles Makhol, the General Manager, Metropolitan Construction Company said the company had engaged three engineers for the project and more than 300 craftsmen.
According to him, the standard procedures required by the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) are being adopted to ensure quality job.
Mr Bola Aganaba, the Deputy Director of Highways, North-Central, Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing said that defaulters on terms of the contract stood the risk of their jobs being terminated.
Aganaba said that the era of business as usual would no longer be tolerated as government would not allow substandard jobs.
Responding, Mr Emmanuel Woyng, Village Head of Wusili, one of the host communities, while expressing gratitude for the project said that the laterite required for the job would be provided by members of the community.
A food vendor, Mrs Limwa Williams at the construction site told newsmen that she made a minimum of N10, 000 sales daily.
