By Zayyad I. Muhammad
SIR: The Adamawa State government, under the leadership of Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, has commenced the construction of a 20.8 kilometre superhighway in Yola, the state capital.
The superhighway, starting from the Yola City Gate and ending at AA Lawan Junction inside the city of Yola, will open up a new corridor in the Jimeta-Yola metropolitan area as the superhighway is passing through virgin land, though there is massive building activity along the way—new housing estates, including the 2000 housing units constructed by the Fintiri government for civil servants and other citizens of the state. Other activities along the corridor are industries, farmhouses, schools, and commercial activities.
Some critics have accused state governors of neglecting basic needs while constructing big roads and flyovers, but Governor Fintiri is different—he has struck a balance between human development and infrastructure, rural needs and urban development, community engagement, and political engagement. Fintiri has built cottage hospitals and rehabilitated general and specialist hospitals throughout the state. He had built new schools and improved the existing ones, including the payment for WAEC and NECO for all Adamawa State students.
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In the just-released 2023 NECO Results, Adamawa State recorded the highest number of candidates with five credits, including English and Mathematics. Recently, Governor Fintiri launched the Adamawa Human Development Council to drive Adamawa’s human development initiatives and oversee all human development issues in the state. Furthermore, Adamawa State has one of the most well-structured and sustainable poverty alleviation and wealth creation agencies in the northeast: the Adamawa Poverty Alleviation and Wealth Creation Agency (PAWECA). The agency trains and develops skills for youth and women; it’s doing well in that its core mandate.
Like any other huge construction project, superhighways have their challenges, but the importance and the need for the 20.8-kilometre superhighway along that corridor overshadow its challenges.
City expansion, urban congestion, population growth, and modernization necessitate the need for better roadways on a global scale. Superhighways in towns and cities bring efficiency to businesses that depend on transportation, reduce commuter time, and are designed to enhance road safety while reducing accidents. Their economic impact is substantial, improving connectivity between different sections of the city, reducing congestion, and diverting long-distance traffic away from the inner town’s roads. Governor Fintiri’s 20.8km superhighway stretching from the Welcome Yola City Gate to AA Lawan Junction inside the city, which will be the first in any state capital in the Northeast, will offer these benefits, including opening a new corridor in the Jimeta-Yola capital city.