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The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has completed the Northwest leg of its nationwide Federal Roads Project Tour, commending President Bola Tinubu and the Minister of Works, Engr. David Umahi, for the quality and pace of work on federal roads in the region.
NANS President, Comrade Babatunde Akinteye, disclosed this while addressing a world press conference on the completion of the tour, which covered Kano, Jigawa, Kaduna and Sokoto States.
Akinteye said the tour was aimed at physically inspecting federal road projects, assessing their condition and progress firsthand, and examining their importance to Nigerian students, especially roads that serve as major access routes to campuses and student communities.
He said road infrastructure is not merely about transportation but directly connected to students’ welfare, safety, mobility and access to education.
According to him, in Kano State, the team inspected the Kano-Kwanar Danja-Hadejia Road, Section II, Kano-Tsalle; the Kano Northern Bypass; the Kano-Maiduguri Road linking Kano, Jigawa, Bauchi, Yobe and Borno States; the Kano-Katsina Road, Phase II; Yakasai-Badume-Damargu-Markenzalli Roads; and the Kaduna-Kano Road.
He said the Kano Northern Bypass is particularly significant as it will provide an alternative route for students and commuters and connects 10 institutions across the region, while the Kano-Maiduguri Road provides access to Aliko Dangote University of Science and Technology, Wudil, and the Kaduna-Kano Road serves Sa’adatu Rimi College of Education, Kano.
In Jigawa State, NANS inspected the Kano-Kwanar Danja-Hadejia Road and the Kano-Kongolam Road traversing Kano, Jigawa and Katsina States, which provide access to Federal University Dutse, Jigawa State Polytechnic and other institutions.
In Kaduna State, the inspection covered the Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano Road, Section II, Kaduna-Zaria; the Nnamdi Azikiwe Road, also known as the Western Bypass, from Command Second Junction to Kawo; the Zaria-Funtua-Sokoto Road; the Kaduna-Pambegua-Jos Road, Section I; the Wusasa-Jos Road, Turunku-Mararaban Jos Federal Road, Phase II; and the Mando-Birnin Gwari Road.
He said the Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano route remains a major route connecting the FCT with Kaduna, Zaria and Kano and provides access to institutions including the Federal Co-operative College, while the Zaria-Funtua-Sokoto Road connects communities across Kaduna, Katsina, Zamfara and Sokoto States.
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In Sokoto State, the team inspected the Sokoto-Badagry Road and the Illela-Dukamaje Road.
Akinteye said what the association saw during the tour reinforced that the road to campuses is part of education infrastructure.
“Students do not exist only within the four walls of their classrooms. We commute every day. We travel to lecture theatres, examination halls, and for other academic activities,” he said.
He commended President Tinubu for investment in infrastructural development and for ensuring the roads directly pass through and provide access to campuses.
He also lauded the Minister of Works, Engr. David Umahi, for foresight, competence and shrewdness in identifying critical transportation needs and pursuing projects that connect communities, cities and regions while improving access to institutions.
“From what we have seen on the ground, the quality of construction, the vision behind several of these projects and the speed at which work is progressing are worthy of commendation,” Akinteye stated.
He urged the Federal Government and the Ministry of Works to sustain the momentum and ensure completion to required standards and within reasonable timelines, adding that NANS will continue with the next stages of the tour across other regions.
“Our position is simple: when you improve the road to our campuses, you improve the journey to education,” he said.
