By Yusufu Idegu, Jos –
Plateau citizens residing along Jos New Market road in Jos North Local Government have called on the state Governor Simon Lalong to complete the Jos New Market Road to ease the hardship faced by the people.
Shop owners along the market road, who spoke to correspondent, said their businesses have been put on hold for the past five years the rehabilitation of the road commenced.
“Our means of survival is our shops, and we cannot open and sell since this project started. The contractor has abandoned the work and disappeared from site for reason unknown to us” said Inuwa Bala.
A resident, Suleiman Hassan said, “The New market road which is not more than 600 meters, has not been completed almost five years after it was initiated by the Chairman, Northern Governors Forum and Governor Simon Lalong lead administration in Plateau State for an unknown reason”.
The road project, it was learnt, was part of the rehabilitation of township roads commenced by Gov Lalong in 2017 as a step towards fulfilling his campaign promises to people of Jos North LGA.
That of New Market road was abandoned halfway, it was later handed over to Jos North local government authority for completion but the contractor dug the road and fled.
Hassan alleged that, “Management Committee Chairman of Jos North Local Government, Hon Shehu Bala Usman has incurred the bank loan of over 2000 million Naira in the name of completing this road that was miraculously handed over to him by the Plateau State Government.
“Even though, some part of the road is now motorable than before, the chunk part of the road remains a nightmare for motorists plying the road.
Hassan wondered why the road project that is less than a kilometer is dragging for so long, while other roads flagged off at the same time have been completed.
He however, appealed to the state government to order the management of Jos North LGA to complete the project so as not to send a wrong signal to residence who are already insinuating that government never meant well for them after all.