By Joy Odor Reportcircle News
The Federal Government’s long-stalled Cham–Numan highway in Adamawa has ballooned from ₦9 billion to ₦43 billion, yet officials insist the once-neglected economic artery is finally edging toward delivery with 44 percent of work completed and 13 kilometres left to pave.
On a nationwide media tour aligned with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope infrastructure drive, the Federal Ministry of Works spotlighted intervention projects across Adamawa State, projecting a narrative of turnaround after years of flooding, design setbacks and funding volatility.
At the heart of the visit was the Cham–Numan section of the Gombe–Yola Road the only major corridor linking Gombe and Adamawa states and one of the 2,064 projects inherited from previous administrations.
Federal Controller of Works in Adamawa, Engr. Dimas Tuwai, described the stretch as an economic lifeline hobbled by structural challenges and scope variations.
Awarded in May 2017 at ₦9 billion, the contract sum rose to about ₦16 billion following design changes that required the use of boulders’ fill instead of a conventional stone base. Inflation and additional contractual adjustments later pushed total cost projections to ₦43 billion.
Despite the escalation, Tuwai maintained that construction is progressing steadily, with completion targeted within the year.
Contractor Targets 2027 Delivery
Representing contractor CGC (Nigeria) Limited, Public Relations Officer Simeon Omale reaffirmed commitment to the delivery timeline.
“CGC is committed to completing this project, and we assure you we will meet the stipulated deadline,” Omale said, projecting full completion by 2027.
The cost surge mirrors broader infrastructure financing pressures nationwide, where inflation, exchange rate volatility and material price spikes have forced upward contract reviews.
The delegation also inspected the Jabbi–Lamba Road, executed by M/S Decency Associates Ltd under the Renewed Hope intervention scheme.
Awarded on December 30, 2024, the project has reached roughly 40 percent completion and is projected to conclude within three to four months, a comparatively accelerated timeline.
Professional regulators offered rare unanimity in endorsing project quality.
Chairman of the Nigeria Society of Engineers (Adamawa Branch), Prof. Engr. Bashiru Aliyu, expressed satisfaction with the execution standard, noting that progress exceeded community expectations.
Similarly, Adamawa State Chairman of the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), Engr. Wasinda Jonathan, described the intervention as laudable, affirming regulatory satisfaction with workmanship and compliance.
In Yola, a rehabilitated Doctors’ Quarters Road within Adamawa Central Senatorial Zone was formally commissioned as part of 260 completed Emergency/Special Intervention Projects.
Executed by Clinton Enterprise Ltd, the road had previously suffered recurrent flooding.
Officials say reconstruction has improved drainage, eased vehicular movement and lifted property values.
Performing the commissioning on behalf of Works Minister David Umahi, the Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists Correspondents’ Chapel, Adamawa State, Comrade Ibrahim Kado, said the project has transformed living conditions in the area.
Community representative Malam Jubril Mohammed Iliasu echoed the sentiment: “We are no longer afraid of the rainy season.”
The Ministry insists the Adamawa projects underscore a broader shift from emergency response to structured corridor development moving communities “from floods to flow.”
For investors and residents alike, the stakes extend beyond asphalt. Efficient road links remain critical to agricultural distribution, inter-state commerce and regional integration in the North-East.
Yet with project costs multiplying nearly fivefold since 2017, questions around fiscal sustainability and timeline discipline will linger.
For now, the Federal Government is betting that visible progress on the ground will outweigh the arithmetic of escalation and that Adamawa’s battered corridor can finally transition from a symbol of delay to a showcase of delivery.
