Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani
Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani, has ordered the immediate acceleration and completion of the Nnamdi Azikiwe Western Bypass following a series of fatal accidents along the corridor.
The directive came after an emergency stakeholders’ meeting convened by the governor to address growing safety concerns on the 21.5-kilometre expressway stretching from Command Junction to Mando Roundabout.
Addressing journalists after the meeting, the Commissioner for Information and Culture, Mallam Ahmed Maiyaki, said the governor was deeply troubled by the rising number of crashes and loss of lives recorded on the road.
He quoted the governor as saying that no level of infrastructural progress could justify the continued loss of lives, stressing that the situation had become unacceptable and required urgent intervention.
The meeting brought together key stakeholders, including officials of the Federal Ministry of Works, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Kaduna State Traffic Law Enforcement Authority (KASTELEA), contractors, and transport unions.
Representatives of Dangote Industries, Dantata and Sawoe, as well as leadership of NARTO, NURTW and ACCOMORAN, were also in attendance to deliberate on ways to fast-track the project and improve safety.
Maiyaki noted that although the road project was awarded in 2021 before the current administration came on board, progress had been slow until the governor intervened.
He said there had been noticeable improvement in the pace of work following the governor’s engagement, but stressed that timely completion had now become a priority.
According to updates from contractors and the Federal Controller of Highways, about 19 kilometres of the road have been completed so far, leaving a significant portion yet to be delivered.
Despite the official completion timeline of December 2026, the governor has directed that the project be completed ahead of schedule, warning that further delays would not be tolerated.
To ensure compliance, the state government has set up a multi-agency task force to monitor construction progress and enforce safety measures along the bypass.
Maiyaki added that the task force would also focus on addressing unsafe road use, noting that reckless behaviour by motorists and pedestrians had contributed significantly to the accidents recorded on the highway.
