The Kano State Government has said that the administration of former Governor Rabi’u Kwankwaso left a liability of over N54 billion for five kilometres of road projects across the 44 Local Government Areas of the state.

The state commissioner for Information, Malam Muhammad Garba, stated this in a statement issued on Sunday to newsmen on the outcome of the state Executive Council Meeting.

“The administration of Governor Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso left a liability of N54, 408, 259, 638.05 for the five-kilometre road projects across the 44 local government areas of the state,” the statement said.

Ganduje was the Deputy Governor and the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs during the administration of Governor Rabi’u Kwankwaso.

According to the statement, the council received the report of the Technical Committee to assess the 5 km road projects all of which were awarded by the previous administration under the defunct Ministry of Land and Physical Planning with the state Urban Planning and Development Authority as supervising agency.

“The committee visited 39 local governments where its detailed report indicated awarded contract sum for the projects, present site conditions, the value of executed works, the amount certified and the amount released for the projects,’’ the statement said.

The commissioner pointed out that 5km road projects in three local governments were revoked and re-awarded due to non-performance in Warawa, Ungogo and Dawakin Tofa, while some portions of the projects in Tsanyawa and Bichi along Kano-Katsina road were released to the federal ministry of works and housing based on a request from the federal government.

The statement said other three projects in Rimin Gado, Karaye, and Bunkure local governments that fall within the main arterial highway were expunged from the main project and re-awarded separately for execution, while metropolitan local governments of Dala, Nassarawa, Gwale, Municipal and Tarauni were allotted various projects within the municipality as 5km projects.

Garba said that the council had approved the “release of N607.1 million for the rehabilitation of Rimin Gado-Sabon Fegi-Jilli-Gulu road in Rimin Gado local government.”

He said the approval had also been given by the council for the conversion of the existing School of Post Basic Midwifery Gezawa to the status of School of Nursing Gezawa to broaden the platform for training of more qualified midwives in order to reduce maternal and infant morbidity and mortality in the state.

Punch