Niger Gov’t Debunk Claims Of Project Stagnation, Attributes Delay To Rainy Season

The Niger State Government has refuted claims suggesting that the ongoing multi-billion naira urban renewal projects across the state have stalled due to lack of funds or financial insolvency.
Speaking in an interview in Minna over the weekend, the Commissioner for Works, Engr. Suleiman Umar Ibrahim alongside the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Hassan Baba Etsu described such rumours as not only false but misleading, and an unfair representation of the government’s efforts toward infrastructural transformation in the state.
According to them, the slight slowdown observed in some sections of the projects, especially the construction of the five overhead bridges and roads in Minna, is a direct consequence of the intense rainy season currently being experienced in Niger State and across most parts of the country.
They explained that heavy downpours and waterlogging have made it technically challenging for contractors to proceed at full speed with earthworks and road laying activities.
“Work has not stopped. What we are seeing is a strategic adjustment of operations due to the season,”
The Commissioner explained. “The contractors, particularly the Chinese firms handling the bridges, are currently concentrating on hydronic works and the concrete erection of bridge pillars. These are critical foundational activities that can still be undertaken even during the rains.”
The government also addressed the issue of the 350 ad-hoc staff recently disengaged by Arab Contractors, one of the firms working on the urban renewal project.
The Works Commissioner clarified that the disengagement was temporary and necessitated by seasonal constraints, adding that the affected workers are expected to be recalled by October, when the rains begin to subside and full-scale construction activities resume.
“Let me reassure the public that the disengaged workers are not abandoned,
“They will enjoy certain incentives from the contractors during this off-season, and all of them are expected to return to site as the dry season sets in.”
He further emphasized that the state government, under the leadership of Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago, remains fully committed to completing all ongoing infrastructure projects and that modalities for sustainable funding of these projects are being carefully and strategically worked out to avoid delays.
The Permanent Secretary also added that the government has entered into well-structured contractual agreements that ensure that funds are released as needed, and the urban renewal projects will not be abandoned or delayed unnecessarily.