Isiyaku Ahmed
The Kano State Ministry for Public Procurement, Projects Monitoring and Evaluation (MPPPME) has intensified monitoring of major road construction and infrastructure projects across the metropolis to ensure quality delivery, compliance with specifications and value for public money.
The exercise, conducted on Tuesday, covered 16 projects with a combined contract value of N66.92 billion under the urban renewal programme of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf’s administration.
Sagiru Ado Abubakar, Information Officer of the MPPPME, Kano, said the ministry would sustain its monitoring activities to ensure that contractors delivered projects in line with approved standards and government expectations.
The projects inspected included Lawan Dambazau Road, popularly known as I.G. Road; Iyaka–Sokoto roads; Kofar Waika–Turba–Dorawar Dillalai–Tudun Rubudi road; Sarkin Yaki Road; Guda Abdullahi Road; Justice Dahiru Mustapha Road; and asphalt overlay works along Sokoto Road.
The ministry said the monitoring exercise was part of its statutory responsibility to assess project implementation, track contractors’ performance, identify challenges and ensure compliance with approved standards and timelines.
During the inspection, the ministry observed increased construction activities on the Lawan Dambazau and Iyaka–Sokoto road projects, with drainage channels being constructed along both sides of the roads to improve water management and reduce the risks of flooding and erosion.
The Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Engr. Abdulrazak Haruna, who accompanied the Commissioner, Comrade Nura Ma’aji Sumaila, on the tour, urged contractors to maintain quality workmanship, comply with approved engineering specifications and sustain the pace of construction until completion.
Haruna said the ministry would continue regular monitoring of ongoing projects to ensure that public investments delivered the expected results.
“The ministry will continue to follow up on these projects, just as it has been doing in other areas of the urban renewal programme. We will not relent in exercising our mandate to ensure value for money, quality delivery, and compliance with approved standards,” he said.
However, the commissioner expressed concern over the slow pace of work on the construction of three courtrooms, new offices and the Chief Judge’s office at the Ceremonial Court within the Audu Bako Secretariat.
He observed that only a small percentage of the project had been completed and directed the ministry’s Department of Building Infrastructure to intensify engagement with the contractor and ensure an urgent return to the site to accelerate work.
The directive, according to the ministry, was aimed at addressing delays, enforcing contractual obligations and preventing critical public infrastructure projects from being abandoned or unnecessarily prolonged.
The ministry said the projects formed part of the state government’s broader urban renewal programme designed to improve road connectivity, ease movement across Kano metropolis, strengthen drainage infrastructure and enhance residents’ quality of life.
