By Olokuta Rofiat
Residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), have appealed to Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, to revive and complete the long-abandoned Life Camp-Mbora road project, which they say has stifled development and worsened traffic congestion in the area.
The road, designed to connect Life Camp Junction through CITEC to Mbora and extend towards Nile University, was awarded during the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan.
More than a decade later, the project remains incomplete despite its strategic importance.
The contract, awarded to Sammya Nigeria Ltd., covered both the road and critical infrastructure within the CITEC-Mbora corridor.
While the company delivered Phase II engineering infrastructure in Mbora, progress stalled due to delayed payments from the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), and rising inflation.
Sammya’s Managing Director, Mr. Stephen Adigun, revealed that the project is about 86.33 percent complete under the original scope but only 30.03 percent based on a revised budget of ₦26.7 billion.
Completed works include sub-base, stone base, binder and wearing courses, culverts, and bridges up to transition slab level.
Residents lamented that the abandoned project has left the route impassable, disrupted access between Life Camp, Idu, and Nizamiye Hospital, and forced heavy reliance on the Jabi-Lugbe/Umar Musa Yar’Adua Expressway, which now suffers increased gridlock.
Despite oversight visits by the Ministry of Works, the FCDA, and relevant National Assembly committees, no visible progress has been recorded.
Many residents, however, expressed hope that Minister Wike will intervene, noting that completing the project would align with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope agenda.
Efforts to reach Sammya Nigeria Ltd. for further updates proved unsuccessful, as calls and messages were unanswered.
