The embargo placed on use of explosives in the North East has brought road construction and rehabilitation to a halt in Borno State.
Contractors handling the reconstruction of Biu-Gombe road and Damaturu-Biu road disclosed this yesterday during an inspection of the North East infrastructure projects led by Minister of State for Power, Work and Housing I, Mustapha Baba-Shehiru.
Project Manager, FIK Global Resources Limited, Taofeek Rahman, said the firmโs permissions to blast was denied by the Ministry of Mines and Steel, which noted only the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) could give such permission.
Appealing to the Minister to intervene, he explained that dynamites are most essential element for blasting and crushing rocks, which makes up aggregates needed for the road construction.
He said it was necessary to ensure the 119km Biu-Gombe road is completed within the 24- month schedule.
โWe have tried to start the project but we are having some constraint which is the issue of quarry.
โSo far all we are doing is scarification and making the road usable so that the people can assess it.โ
He said the construction had so far employed 140 indigenes of the community in various capacities like engineers, operators and labourers among others.
At the 49.1km Damaturu-Biu construction site the Project Manager Omoshewo Abdul-Razaq also said the embargo on explosives has affected the progress of his work greatly.
Abdul-Razaq said they had scarified and cleared 15km and also constructed out 10 covets.
He also appealed to the Minister to help in getting the much needed permits.
โThe major challenge of this road is aggregate as we are aware there has not been blasting in this state for over 11years now and all the quarries are not functioning.
โWe have to go and get aggregate from as far as 160km away from here for the concrete work,โ he said.
Baba-Shehiru assured the contactor of doing everything possible to get the construction back on track after expressing satisfaction on the work done so far.
He urged the contractors to consider the importance of the road that links Gombe, Borno and Jalingo before the raining season sets in fully.
