Gov. Babagana Zulum of Borno on Monday inaugurated the construction of Maiduguri’s 113-kilometer ring road project linking the east, west, and southern parts of the city.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the project is part of Zulum’s urban renewal drive, aims at solving city congestion, addressing housing deficits, job creation and spur economic growth.
Inaugurating the project, Zulum said it would be executed in phases, starting with Maiduguri-Kano Road to Maiduguri-Monguno Road via Maiduguri road covering 16.5km.
“Maiduguri, the capital of Borno is experiencing serious challenges as a result of the influx of internally displaced persons.
“This is putting huge pressure on the resources to cater for the needs of the population, especially shelter.
“We are taking deliberate steps to decongest the city. The government has decided to start the first phase of the project, which is about 16.5km.
“We will not hesitate to expand this scope of work to cover the entire 113km on the ring road.” he said.
Zulum charged the Ministry of Works and Housing to ensure quality work that would stand the test of time.
Also speaking, Mustapha Gubio, Commissioner for Works and Housing, assured the governor of timely completion of the project while observing all the engineering specifications strictly.
The Executive Secretary of Borno Geographic Information Service (BOGIS), Adam Bababe, said a compensation of over N1.6b was paid to 732 persons whose farmlands were affected due to the project.
He noted that residential, commercial, industrial, recreational, and institutional layout would be established along the ring road in a land mass of about 2,000 hectares.
