Governor Bala Mohammed Abdulkadir of Bauchi State has expressed deep dissatisfaction with the slow pace of the N29.6 billion Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL) flood and erosion control project, which currently stands at just 7.2% completion.
The governor expressed his dissatisfaction during his inspection visit to the project site at the Abubakar Tatari Ali Polytechnic and urged the contractor to urgently deploy additional equipment and manpower to accelerate work and meet the stipulated deadline.
He emphasised that because the project is fully funded, there is no justification for unnecessary delays.’The state has demonstrated its commitment by releasing 40 per cent of the contract sum.’
The governor said that ‘We expect the contractor to show a matching readiness and capability to execute this vital work.’
Governor Bala Mohammed highlighted the deep historical and humanitarian significance of the project, noting that it was originally conceived during the administration of former Governor of the state, Ahmed Adamu Mu’azu.
While described the current phase as a massive humanitarian effort designed to safeguard vulnerable communities living along riverbeds and flood-prone areas.
Also speaking during the inspection, Joy Agene, who is the ACReSAL Task Team Lead, commended the quality of the engineering work executed so far, while echoing the Governor’s concerns regarding the sluggish timeline.
Agene said that the project is one of ACReSAL’s largest interventions nationwide in terms of scope, scale and financial cost, making swift execution critical.
The project contractor blamed the slow progress primarily on the challenges of the ongoing rainy season.
He assured the Governor that a massive remobilisation strategy is already underway to salvage the timeline,
He also promised that four separate teams will be deployed simultaneously across different sections of the micro-catchment area, armed with extra equipment and increased manpower.
The contractor expressed absolute confidence that the entire project will be completed between March and April, 2027.