El-Rufai Thanks FG For Handover Of Nnamdi Azikiwe, Ahmadu Bello Way

By Trace Reporter
The Kaduna State Government has welcomed the decision of the Federal Government to accede to the state’s request to take control of Nnamdi AzikiweExpressway and the Ahmadu Bello Way. The state government said it would nurture the roads for the safety and convenience of the users.

In a statement signed by Samuel Aruwan, Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, said the Kaduna State Government assured the FG that the state would take over and manage the roads responsibly and in accordance with its urban renewal agenda.

“The Kaduna State Government is delighted to be handed full control of two major metropolitan roads, the Nnamdi Azikiwe Expressway and the Ahmadu Bello Way. The Governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, has sent a note of gratitude to the Federal Government for granting a well-considered request from Kaduna State.

“Kaduna State made a formal request for the redesignation of these former federal roads to enable us pursue more effectively our programme of urban renewal. Everyone can agree that it is odd to have to obtain the approval of a federal official before you can effect repairs or even put street lights on a major road that passes through your state capital. For road users, ernest explanations about who the custodian of a highway is often offers neither sympathetic hearing nor relief from the hardships bad roads inflict.

“Kaduna State’s request to assume control of Nnamdi Azikiwe Expressway was also actuated by pragmatic considerations. That road, which was initially constructed as a bye-pass to enable travelers avoid the heart of Kaduna, is now practically at the Centre of the metropolis. It is a road Kaduna residents now traverse daily, in the course of living within the city. It is no longer a bye-pass, and a new bye-pass is required.

“Thus our request to redesignate Nnamdi Azikiwe Expressway as a state road was accompanied with a request that the FG should construct a new bye-pass at a point close to the new extension to the Kaduna metropolitan area. The Kaduna State Government is building a new city in its eastern flanks. Necessary measures are being taken to actualise this, including appropriate expansion of the Kaduna metropolitan area to 40km radius.

“The Kaduna State Government commends the FG and the federal cabinet for conceding to a request to devolve responsibility for these roads. We will now move to assume our responsibility to make these roads safer, more comfortable and more conducive to commerce.”