about 1,365 kilometres of rural roads across the state.
The Special Adviser to Governor Ahmed Aliyu on Rural Roads Development, Malami Muhammed, disclosed this on Sunday in an interview, saying another 530 kilometres of rural roads had also been identified for development.
Muhammed, who clarified that the Rural Access and Mobility programme was only a unit within the broader rural roads development department, said the combined projects would bring the total length of roads being handled by the administration to about 1,895 kilometres.
“We have identified, discovered, designed and awarded contracts for about 1,365 kilometres, which are all at various levels of completion. Some are completed and commissioned, some are completed and waiting for commissioning, while others are at various levels of completion”, he said.
According to him, the additional 530 kilometres were recently identified following a directive by the state government, with the process of engaging contractors already underway.
He explained that the projects comprise three categories of roads—feeder roads, surface-dressed roads and asphalt roads.
Muhammed said the administration’s emphasis on rural roads was informed by their importance to agriculture, healthcare, education and economic activities in rural communities.
“The importance of roads cannot be overemphasised. Without roads, you cannot go to school; without roads, you cannot go to hospital; and without roads, you cannot carry your food from the farm to the market,” he said.
He added that roads also provide access for the government and contractors to execute other infrastructure projects in rural communities. “If there are no roads, can you dig boreholes? There is no access. You cannot use your vehicle to go and dig boreholes or provide electricity infrastructure,” he said.
The special adviser said the government was also constructing major rural roads across several local government areas, citing projects in Tambuwal and Gada among others. He gave the example of a road linking Dogondaji, Napa Guda, Yagawal and Tambuwal, measuring about 23 kilometres, as well as another road from Afag Alasan to Optimal Liman in Tambuwal, measuring about 21.18 kilometres.
He also cited a 14.7-kilometre asphalt road linking communities including Nizawiya, Ngongoriyaya, Ngoromedaji and Ngongonduko.
According to him, the road projects are already having a significant impact on rural economic activities, particularly the movement of farm produce.
Muhammal recalled that before the construction of one of the roads linking farming communities to Gada, farmers paid as much as N10,000 to transport a bag of onions to Gada. “Now, a trailer can go to that place and load directly. The transportation cost has reduced from N10,000 to about N1,000,” he said.
He described the development as a major transformation for communities that had waited for decades for access roads. The adviser also disclosed that the government was constructing three markets in Illela, Gada and Bodinga, saying the facilities were at various stages of completion.
“We are building three markets in the state, one in Illela, one in Gada and one at Bodinga. All of them are at various levels of completion,” he said.
He expressed optimism that at least one of the markets would be commissioned within the next one to two months. “It has a grain market, an abattoir; it has everything. It is a complete market,” he said.
On how road projects were selected, Bajare said the government considered requests from communities and elected representatives, as well as available budgetary provisions. “As a government, we have records from previous administrations, and we receive requests from people. Representatives of the people send their requests to our department,” he said.
“When we look at it, we consider the possibility and the budget to see whether we have provision or not. Then we go and measure the road and keep the record.”
Bajare, however, appealed to residents to protect the roads after completion, warning against digging up newly constructed roads or erecting unauthorised speed bumps.
He specifically said the 14.7-kilometre road in the Buziga, Lukuwa, Eregadama, Lekawa and Tushala axis cost the government about N4 billion.
“This is public money. If it is yours or mine, nobody will allow that to happen. We are not going to take it lightly if anybody is caught trying to misuse the road”, he said.
On the 2027 elections, Muhammed urged rural residents to support the administration, arguing that the projects being executed should be sustained through continuity.
“If you want this thing to continue, if you want this thing to be sustained, you vote for this administration so that it will continue,” he said.
He expressed confidence that residents of rural communities would support the government because, according to him, they had witnessed developments in areas where roads had been demanded for decades.
“People are not blind. They are seeing what is happening,” he said. “They are going to choose between continuity and backwardness.”
Muhamm said he was particularly confident of support from communities that had waited for between 40 and 70 years for roads to be constructed.
“They have been begging for these roads for over 40 years, until now they have got them. Others have been looking for these roads for over 70 years. Now they have got them,” he said.
He also appealed to residents to support the All Progressives Congress (APC) at all levels, saying continued investment in rural infrastructure would depend on the administration remaining in office.
Asked about the challenges facing the rural roads development department, Bajare said the government remained focused on improving access to rural communities.
“What we are creating is access—access to towns, access to markets and access to farms. That is what we are creating,” he said.
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