The Katsina State Government has called on the Federal Government to revisit over 74 abandoned projects across the state, according to Dr. Faisal Kaita, the state Commissioner of Lands and Physical Planning.
Kaita made the appeal during a stakeholders’ town hall meeting in Katsina on Tuesday, organized by Alhaja Khadijt Omotayo-Kareem, Personal Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Constituency Affairs.
Kaita highlighted that many of these projects were initiated by previous administrations but were either abandoned at the outset or left incomplete.
“Among the projects, the dualisation of the Katsina-Kano road, the expansion of Umaru Musa-Yar’adua Airport, and the Katsina-Daura-Maradi rail projects are most significant,” Kaita said.
He noted that while the section of the Katsina-Kano road from Kano to Gidan Mutum-Daya has been completed, the portion in Katsina remains unfinished.
“We understand that the Katsina section was halted due to non-payment of compensation to residents affected by the road project,” Kaita explained.
Kaita pointed out that the Federal Government had handled the compensation payments for the Kano section and urged the President to ensure similar treatment for the Katsina part.
“The Katsina-Kano road is crucial as it links not only Katsina and Kano States but also connects Nigeria to other African countries,” he added.
He further mentioned that the state government had initially intended to address the compensation issue but was deterred by a decision from the Federal Ministry of Works.
“The Federal Government has decided to appoint property valuers to assess the affected areas and submit their findings to the state government for payment. If the federal government insists we should pay the compensation, then we have our valuers ready to do the job,” Kaita stated.
