Onuminya Innocent in Sokoto
The Sokoto State Government has awarded contracts for the construction and rehabilitation of 1,365 kilometres of rural roads across the 23 Local Government Areas, with an additional 530 kilometres already identified for execution under Governor Ahmed Aliyu’s administration.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Rural Roads, Hon. Malami Muhammad Galadanchi Bajare, disclosed this in Sokoto while briefing journalists on the achievements of the current administration in the rural roads sector from 2023 to date.
Galadanchi explained the 1,365 kilometres are at various stages of execution. According to him, some of the roads have been completed and commissioned, some are completed and awaiting commissioning, while others are still ongoing.
He said the projects are being delivered under three categories: asphalt roads, surface-dressed roads and feeder roads, to ensure that different rural communities get road infrastructure suited to their needs and traffic volume.
Citing specific interventions, the Special Adviser mentioned the 9.5-kilometre Gada-Illah-Gari-Dutse-Tabanni road, as well as multiple projects in Tambuwal Local Government Area totaling over 100 kilometres.
In Tambuwal, he listed the 23-kilometre Dogondaji-Nabaguda-Yagawal-Tambuwal road and the 21.18-kilometre Faga-Alasan-Romon Liman road among those executed, while other LGAs like Silame have also seen the commissioning of the Garin Magaji–Gittarana road.
Galadanchi further revealed that about two months ago, the state government directed his department to identify another 530 kilometres of rural roads, and that consultants have already been engaged for the design work and contractor engagement.
“When the 530 kilometres are added to the ongoing 1,365 kilometres, the total will reach 1,895 kilometres of rural roads under the present administration,” he said, noting that the figure represents one of the largest rural road drives in the state’s recent history.
Beyond roads, the Special Adviser disclosed that the government is also constructing three modern markets in Ileila, Gada, and Bodinga Local Government Areas, with each facility to house a grain market and an abattoir to boost agricultural trade and hygiene.
He added that one of the three markets would be ready for commissioning within the next one to two months, as part of efforts to provide structured trading infrastructure for farmers and traders across the state.
On the rationale for the heavy investment in rural roads, Galadanchi said road access remains the backbone of development. “Without roads people cannot go to school, access hospitals, or move farm produce to the market. Nothing can be done without a road,” he stated.
He appealed to residents to continue supporting Governor Aliyu, arguing that many communities are now getting roads they had demanded for between 40 and 70 years.
With the 2027 elections in view, he expressed confidence that the people of rural Sokoto would vote for continuity, saying “it is a matter of seeing is believing.”