Aerial views of Apo-Karshi road (Video/Pix)

Contrary to the recent assurance by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Malam Mohammed Bello, that the 13.25-kilometre Apo-Karshi road will be completed and opened for public use before the beginning of this year’s rainy season, IDOMA VOICE can report that this projection is not feasible.

This was observed during a recent trip to the project site by IDOMA VOICE team.
Recall that the minister had last February, while fielding questions from State House reporters after the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, claimed that the project would be ready before the rains come.

He said: “The Karshi-Apo road is a project that should have been delivered by now.
“One of the main challenges faced in that road has to do with an error in the design whereby, a huge rock outcrop on the alignment of the road corridor became very difficult to be able to arrange.

“But we are very happy to say that it is now almost taken care of.
However, our reporters observed during a recent trip to the area that the project is just 15% done and cannot meet up with minister’s projection.
A 15-minute ride (on motorcycle) from Karshi to the foot of the Ligbo Mountain showed that nothing much had been done on the single-lane road.
At the moment, the contractors are battling to humble the mountain which separates Karshi and Apo communities.

This would take then more than a month to level.
Some of the site workers who spoke to IDOMA VOICE said the minister has not been to the site and cannot claim the road would be opened before the rains come.
“I read in the news too and I was wondering which Apo-Karshi road he was talking about. Definitely not this one. I have not seen him here since this year I wonder how he came about his projection that the road is almost road.

“I can tell you that it would take us more than a month to level this rocky mountain. We dey here,” the worker who would not want his name mentioned said.
The road, whose contract was first awarded in 2011 to Kakatar Engineering Limited, a company owned by Azibaola Robert, a cousin of former President Goodluck Jonathan, was designed to ease the gridlock at the AYA-Nyanya-Mararaba section of the Abuja-Keffi road that links the Abuja metropolis with some densely populated satellite towns including Karshi, and neighbouring Nasarawa State.

The award of the contract by the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) in 2011 was for a sum of N6.4 billion (N6,355,609,124.53).

The scope of the contract was to include site clearance and earthworks; construction of culverts (pipe and box) of various sizes; drainages; construction of two bridges of 3-span (45m) and 5-span (75m); rehabilitation of one bridge; as well as pavement and surfacing.
See some pictures from the site.