Bomba Dauda
Minority Whip of the House of Representatives, Hon. Gideon L. Gwani met with traditional and religious leaders, Stakeholders, women and youth of Kukum Daji village in Kaura LGA of Kaduna State over the weekend on the chasing away of the contractor on site and the mischievous conspiracy by irate youth that led to the scraping of Bitumen on the 0.4km Kukum Daji road facilitated by the federal lawmaker.
According to Gwani, “The good people of Kukum Daji are among those that elected me to represent Kaura at the National Assembly but, if you people are not happy with the project that I facilitated, let me know.”
The magnanimous politician went further saying, “My number one mandate as a House of Representative member and the sole purpose of the mandate of a legislator is to make federal laws. My Second responsibility is to lobby for projects like the ongoing road project in Kukum Daji that I have facilitated and it seems some people are not happy with it, this is why I said let me come and sit down with you people. I’m your representative, I’m not a contractor, in fact, I don’t know the contractor, mine was just to facilitate the project, which I did,” He added.
Reacting to the misbehavior of the youth who took the law into their hands and acted defiantly, ESV Zakari Yashen, decried how those who are supposed to defend such a lofty project;the are they ones destroying it.”The 0.4 km road which was awarded to the contractor had already constructed the 0.4 km Road which was awarded to them as was shown in the contract document,we were made to understand that there was a surplus of bitumen that was being used on the 0.4 km.the contractor by his initiatives decided to use the surplus to cover an area of about 6 metres away from the actual contract portion rather than to waste it,unfortunately that was the portion mischievously snap and shared on social media…away from the actual portion of contract work. Worthy of note, the road is a Trunk “C” and not a trunk :A” nor trunk “B” but rural road which are usually roads awarded by MDA’s such as fed.min.of agriculture(see attached copy of the original contract specification)”However the project was captured in 2021 budget and the expiration life ended by March ending 2022,this project is ongoing and has already been captured in the budget of 2022.Encouragingly the project will continue in the Yr 2022,unfortunately the irate youth who were mis- informed chased the contractor away leaving the work uncompleted especially the shoulders of the road that need to be dress.
“It is heartbreaking and shocking to note that mischief-makers will use a road that is for public good, untowardly, to try to drag the good image of Hon. Gwani into disrupt. As a lobbyist, Gwani facilitated the road construction through the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. It is the ministry that awarded the contract and not Gwani,” Yashen decried.
The Dakachi of Kaffi in Kukum Daji District, Hon. Samuel Amai, said, “We are grateful to Hon. Gwani for the ongoing road construction in our community. Apart from the road construction, he had previously brought us Portable Drinking Water and Electricity. So, I condemned in totality the act exhibited by the youth and I considered it to be mischievous.”
“We thank Hon. Gwani for this road project,” Rev. Peter Bature of ECWA Kukum Daji. Adding that, “If there are people who are happy with this road project, I am one of them. Before this project the road was really in a bad shape,plying the road used to be a herculean task because it was muddy in the raining season and dusty in the dry season.
“Honourable Gwani, you have enlightened us with your submission regarding the contract, the information we have now, we didn’t have it before. I want to beg on behalf of the clergymen, please forgive us. I stood in the Church and condemned the act in totality because the scrapping of the Bitumen was not the best way to express anger,”
The Youth Leader of Kukum Daji Village, Mr. Kefas Yakubu, Called on the youth to come back to their senses. They must respect instituted authorities and elders. I know this is mischief but, I’m pleading with the Honourable Member to call on the contractor to return to site and continue with the good work.:attached are copies of contract document.
