ZARIA — The Vice-Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University, ABU, Zaria, Prof. Adamu Ahmed, has described the ongoing reconstruction of the institution’s internal roads by the Kaduna State Government as “the biggest infrastructure intervention the university has received in the last 40 years.”
Speaking during an inspection of the road projects, Mr Ahmed said the intervention was unprecedented and fulfilled a long-standing aspiration of the university community. “We have waited for more than 40 years for this. The project is unprecedented and far beyond our expectations,” he said.
The vice-chancellor noted that ABU, as Nigeria’s foremost engineering institution, was well positioned to assess the quality of the work and could confidently attest that the project met required engineering standards. According to him, the reconstruction is being carried out in close collaboration with engineers from the university, “ensuring strict compliance with professional specifications.” He expressed confidence that the roads would serve the university community for decades because of the quality of construction.
Mr Ahmed commended Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani, for extending the intervention to a federal university “without any formal request from the institution.” He said the governor had demonstrated “empathy, commitment to education and a clear understanding of responsible governance.” The vice-chancellor added that the project underscored “the importance of collaboration between federal and state governments in advancing educational development.” He called on other northern state governors to emulate the gesture by supporting ABU, describing the institution as “a shared heritage of Northern Nigeria.”
While acknowledging previous assistance from some state governments, Mr Ahmed maintained that “the ongoing road reconstruction remained the largest intervention the university had received in recent decades.”
Earlier, the Managing Director of the Kaduna State Roads Agency, KADRA, Abdullahi Baba Ahmed, said the inspection formed part of a tour of ongoing road projects across the state. He disclosed that Governor Uba Sani had initiated “about 150 road projects spanning approximately 1,345 kilometres across the 23 local government areas of Kaduna State.” According to him, the inspection team visited township roads under construction in Sabon Gari Local Government Area before proceeding to ABU. He described the reconstruction of the university’s internal roads as “a landmark infrastructure intervention in a federal institution.”
Baba-Ahmed said comprehensive engineering tests, including coring, in-situ density and California Bearing Ratio, CBR, tests, had confirmed the quality of the project. He added that the Faculty of Engineering, ABU, participated in conducting the laboratory tests, “further validating the standard of work.” The KADRA managing director expressed satisfaction with both the quality and pace of construction and urged the university community to “protect the infrastructure after completion.” He said the project was expected to be completed before the end of August or, at the latest, early September, despite the challenges posed by the rainy season.
Also speaking, the President of the Students’ Union Government, Abdulrahman Aliyu, expressed appreciation to Governor Uba Sani for the intervention. He described the reconstruction as “one of the most significant infrastructure projects undertaken in the university in recent years,” saying it would greatly improve mobility and the learning environment on campus.
