The legislator representing Hawul/Askira/Uba federal constituency, Dr. Haruna Mshelia; has applauded the federal government for rehabilitating Biu-Garkida-Gombi road in Borno and Adamawa states.
According to him, the 127-km border road between the two states had been a nightmare for motorists and commuters for over three decades.
“This road which was built in the late 1970’s serves over a dozen communities of farmers and herders,” he said.
Lamenting motorists’ agonies, wear and tears from the road, yesterday (Sunday), in Maiduguri at an interactive session with journalists, he disclosed: “My two colleagues, Muktar Betara and Yusuf Buba representing Biu/Shani/Kwaya-Kusar/Bayo and Gombi/Hong federal constituencies made frantic efforts to meet Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) and Betara, who doubles as House Committee Chairman on Appropriation to rehabilitate the abandoned road.
He noted that the road was built by the Federal Government in 1979 without maintenance and rehabilitation for over four decades.
Dr. Haruna, who doubles as House Committee Chairman on COVID-19 disclosed that Betara played a critical role in making funds available for the ongoing rehabilitation of the road project.
According to him, Betara has been representing the people in the constituency by mobilizing the three legislators to fix the border road with Adamawa and Cameroon.
While thanking the federal government, he said: “I’m grateful to the federal government for releasing the funds for the reconstruction of this road.”
He added that about N16 billion is required to rebuild the road from Biu to Gombi in Adamawa state.
He, therefore, urged the Federal Government to appropriate and release funds to complete the roads rehabilitation project.
“This could facilitate the completion of rehabilitating the road for communities’ access to their farmlands and ranches,” he said.
Speaking on his constituency projects, he said: “While representing my people at the grassroots, I was able to provide electric transformers to the ones living in seven communities of Hawul and Askira/Uba councils.”
He said that in the education sector, new blocks of classrooms were built in many communities to improve the standard of education at the grassroots.
On the empowerment of youths, he said: “We’ve engaged 100 youths in hair dressing and handset repairs with starter packs for their trades and business outfits.”
