Sambo announced this on Saturday during an inspection of federal road projects within Taraba and Adamawa states.

He gave the assurance that  once the Sukuk fund was accessed within a shot time, there  would be remarkable progress at the construction site.

“The 103 kilometre Numan- Jalingo road is part of the Maiduguri –Calabar Highway.

“The section of the road that is not motorable  is not acceptable for the road is the only connection between the North and South on the North Eastern axis of the country,” Sambo said.

The minister said  that he wouldn’t blame the contractor for the slow pace  of work.

According to him,  it was due  to  the insufficient budgetary provision in the past and COVID-19 pandemic that affected the progress of work.

 He, however,  said that with the current  improved  funding provision,  the contractor  was expected to service its equipment and be more serious on the construction work.

He said if the company was found not to have the capacity to complete the job,  government would not hesitate to terminate the contract and re-award it to a competent one.

While briefing the  Minister on the progress of work on the Numan- Jalingo road, a Senior Civil Engineer at the site, Maria  Zirrah representing the Federal Controller of Works Adamawa,  said insecurity, lack of construction materials and funding were responsible for the slow pace of work on the project.

Also, the Project Engineer of  Deux Project Limited, the contractor for the Numan-Jalingo project, Frank Koshihuk who spoke on behalf of the contractor,  said inflation, funding , insecurity were the major challenges on the construction work.

Koshihuk promised that as soon as the funding pattern for the rahabilation improved, the work would be completed within 8 months .

Reports that the minister  also inspected the construction of Zing –Yakoko-Monkin Road in Taraba  during his two-day working visit.

 The Numan-Jalingo road rehabilitation was awarded to Deux Project Nigeria Ltd at the cost of N11.6bn in March 2017 to be completed in July 2019.

Reports that the Federal Government has released N1.5bn to the contractor who has executed seven per cent of the work.