Education
THE Vice-Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, Prof. Adamu Ahmed, has described the ongoing reconstruction of internal roads by the Kaduna State Government as the largest intervention the university has received in recent years.
Speaking during an inspection of the project, Ahmed said the university had waited more than 40 years for such development, calling it unprecedented and beyond expectations.
“We have waited 40 years for this, the quality of work has exceeded our expectations,” the vice-chancellor said.
He noted that as Nigeria’s foremost engineering institution, ABU could confidently attest to the quality of the project.
Ahmed added that the roads were being executed in collaboration with the university’s engineers to ensure strict compliance with engineering standards.
The V-C expressed confidence that the roads would serve the institution for decades due to their high construction quality.
He commended the Kaduna State Governor, Sen. Uba Sani, for extending the intervention to a federal university without any formal request.
“The governor has shown empathy, commitment to education, and a clear understanding of responsible governance,” he said.
According to him, the intervention highlights the importance of collaboration between federal and state governments in developing educational institutions.
He urged other northern governors to emulate the gesture, describing ABU as a shared heritage of Northern Nigeria.
Ahmed noted that while some states had supported the university in the past, the current intervention remained the largest it had received.
Earlier, the Managing Director of the Kaduna State Roads Agency (KADRA), Dr Abdullahi Baba-Ahmed, said the inspection covered ongoing projects across the state.
He said the governor had initiated about 150 road projects covering approximately 1,345 kilometres across the 23 local government areas of the state.
He said the agency had earlier inspected township roads in Sabon Gari LGA before proceeding to ABU, and described the reconstruction of ABU’s internal roads as a landmark intervention in a federal university.
Dr. Baba-Ahmed said: “We are satisfied with the quality and pace of work and we are appealing to the university community to protect the infrastructure after completion.
“The project is expected to be completed by the end of August or early September, in spite of the rainy season.”
The President, Students’ Union Government (SUG), Abdulrahman Aliyu, also thanked the governor, describing the project as one of the biggest infrastructure interventions the university had witnessed recently.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that both staff and students of the famous institution also commended the state government.
Deborah Danjuma, a staff member, said the project had restored the institution’s image and improved accessibility.
A cross section of students from Civil Engineering and Medical Radiography, Yusuf Bala, Chidima Sunday and Faith Idowu said the project would address a long-standing challenge, ease movement and end the era of wading through floodwaters to attend lectures.
The Project Engineer, Farm Fab Nigeria Limited, Abdullhakeem Hamza, said construction had reached an advanced stage.
He said drainage works had been completed and pavement works were ongoing, while assuring that asphalt laying would begin soon, with completion expected before the end of the rainy season. (NAN)
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Tags: ABU VC Lauds Kaduna Government Roads Construction