In June 2023, we discovered that a recently repaired bridge had collapsed at Dabaibayawa community, along Katsina Dutsin-ma-Kurfi-Funtua road in Katsina state. This was not our first rodeo with the project. In 2020, the bridge was dilapidated and destroyed by flood, and we called the attention of the authorities to it.
N144m was allocated in the 2020 FG budget for repairs of critically bad portions of road and washouts along Katsina-Dutsin-Ma road, Katsina
We tracked the road and confirmed that work yet to commence and two bridge needs urgent repair.
#2020FGProjects @tundefashola pic.twitter.com/qi4llmpVr0— Tracka (@TrackaNG) September 20, 2020
A month later, the implementing agency, Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA), deployed engineers on-site to commence the emergency repairs of the bridge.
However, three years later, we discovered significant portions of the repaired bridge had collapsed, despite a total payment of N616 million to several contractors for the project within this period.
We swung to action and wrote a letter to the agency, narrating the recurrence of the incident and citing an urgent repair of the road, this time with quality materials to ensure longevity and save the government future costs of repairing a failed bridge.
N616 million has been paid to different contractors for the repair of the Kurfi-Dutsinma Road, Katsina in the 2022 FG budget.
This is the road that got repaired through our advocacy in 2020, but 3 years down the lane, the repair is already begging for another attention around… pic.twitter.com/odTZpKeOFp
— Tracka (@TrackaNG) June 15, 2023
In March 2024, the bridge was repaired with special reinforcements and drainages to channel the flood, unlike in 2020.
Commuters and residents in the axis say they now feel safe using the bridge. They are grateful to Tracka for facilitating the advocacy and to the Federal Government for executing the project.
Story by Ayomide Ladipo and Mustapha Saddiq
