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In 2017 when the Federal Government awarded the construction of Share-Patigi Road, in Kwara State, people of the communities along the route were happy and optimistic that their social and economic activities would improve.
However, their hope was dashed as seven years later, the road project is yet to be completed.
Our correspondent who embarked on a journey of the 97km Share-Patigi road, described the condition of the road as worrisome as a journey which should last about three hours, now takes over five hours.
Motorists and Commuters Groan Over Poor Condition of Share -Patigi Road.
From Share to Patigi, up to Kpada, the road has deteriorated and becoming almost impassable. Commuters complained that it has become a death trap and constitutes a security threat to road users as it remains the only route linking communities in Edu and Patigi local government areas in Kwara North Senatorial District, to other parts of the State.
At present, in Tsaragi District, erosion has eaten up a part of the bridge along the road by Bokungi community, yet drivers have no alternative than to risk passing through it.
Similarly, at the Yikpata National Orientation Camp of the National Youth Service Corps, there was a water logged gully caused by lack of proper drainage system. This requires urgent attention to prevent a total collapse of the bridge and consequent distruption of economic activities in the area.
In the course of this report, it was observed that a stretch from Share junction to Gbugbu community where the Kwara State Government recently established an international market, is motorable. Between Gidan Sanni and Ndegi communities, a smooth drive of about 2km is possible while other portions of the road are in a deplorable condition.
The road from Gbugbu to Gada, Lata-woro, Kusoni Guba and Kokodo were also full of potholes while motorists drive on both sides of the road.
Though the road from Wadata, Esanti and Kanworo communities are in good condition, but same cannot be said for the exit point of Kanworo to Patigi via Lade where the road has been scraped. By the road were operational vehicles of the contractor with no one sighted.
A commercial driver at Patigi motorpark, Maraba, Ilorin, Mohammed Al-hassan Ibrahim who ply the road everyday said the journey through the road is not pleasurable.
“Kai, we are suffering on that road, criminals are disturbing us on that road and even someone trekking would catch up with people inside motor on that road because the road is very bad. We need help”.
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A Patigi based business man, Abubakar Mohammed and a woman who preferred anonymity spoke on their experiences and appealed to the government to mobilize the contractor back to site.
“The journey from Ilorin to Patigi is supposed to last for two hours but because of the bad condition of the road, it took us like four and half to five hours to ply the route.” Muhammed said.
“One always feel reluctant to say I am going to Ilorin, there is no time you travel on the road without experiencing body pain,” explained the woman.
Stakeholders Call For Urgent Intervention.
In an interview with Radio Nigeria, the President, Patigi Emirate Youths, Engineer Hamza Nma Ndawuya, described Gbugbu to Kokodo as a terrible route where criminals attack people and claim innocent lives as the stretch of about 15 km was so bad that vehicles and motorcycles plying it must slow down.
Engr. Ndawuya who said the community confirmed the award of the Share to Patigi road, said the reason for the abandonment of the project is unknown.
He explained that they had visited Federal Ministry of Works office in Ilorin several times to mount pressure on the officials to ensure that the contractor expedite action on the project but the Federal Controller said that the project was not a direct one but under a funding mechanism known as “SUKUK”.
“If not for community efforts, I could have told you that today you can’t come to Patigi. In the year 2001, Kuyi Bridge collapsed in which the then Deputy Governor of Kwara State and other prominent State Executives visited the place. When there was no where to pass to ilorin, we engaged ourselves with the financial support from HRH, Etsu Patigi to repair the bridge for temporary use and till now there still need to work on the said bridge because it is about to collapse again. Presently, we’re doing community effort by filling potholes left and right while about four months ago HRH, Etsu Patigi supported us with fuel to engage the services of excavators and pay loader on the road and as well manage some portions by putting sand filled cement bags to make it motorable otherwise the road would have been cut off completely”.
ENETSUD, an anti corruption civil society group in Kwara State, had twice written to the Federal Ministry of Works to ascertain facts about the project.
In the response to the FOI request posted on its social media platforms, the Former Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Raji Fashola SAN, on 23rd May, 2019, explained that the Rehabilitation of Share-Patigi road in Kwara State (C/NO 6336) is a Federal Government capital project funded in 2017 and 2018 and will cost ₦10,298,833,020.
Mr. Fashola in his letter also disclosed that “the project was awarded on 15th August 2017 to Dromo International Company Limited (Ado-Ekiti Permanent Site, Off New Iyin Road, GRA, Ado Ekiti) who received ₦1,104,000,000 in 2017.
In an interview with our correspondent, the Deputy Coordinator of Elite Network For Sustainable Development ENetSuD, Comrade Lanrey Osho, said ENetSuD will continue to monitor further release of funds for the project until it is completed.
FOI Request Redirected
An FOI written to the Kwara State Office of the Federal Ministry of Works was acknowledged, however, a few days later, our reporter received a response from the office asking him to redirect his letter to the Ministry’s headquarters in Abuja
However, information available on the website of the Budget Office of the Federation shows that the Share-Patigi road was budgeted for in the 2023 and 2024 Appropriation Acts.
On page 8 of the 2023 Appropriation of the Federal Ministry of Works, Share-Pategi road rehabilitation (ERGP12172568) was captured as ongoing with a sum of N100million awarded to it.
Also, in the 2024 document, the project tagged as ongoing (ERGP12154813) was awarded the sum of N100,410,000.
Minister’s Message of Hope
During a visit to Kwara State in July 2024, the Minister of Works, David Umahi, stated that through collaboration with stakeholders, more efforts would be made to speed up work on some road projects in the State which are behind their implementation schedules.
Mr Umahi explained that four projects are ongoing on tax credit with BUA in Kwara State and that the company had assured him that the projects would be completed soon. He affirmed that all the projects were being done under President Bola Tinubu and not a social service projects from the company.
“We are the one funding them under a different funding mechanism,” he explained.
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This report was facilitated by the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) under its Collaborative Media Engagement for Development, Inclusivity and (CMEDIA) Project.
