The Minister of State for Works, Bello Goronyo, has expressed dissatisfaction with the slow pace of work on the Zaria–Sheme Road project after inspecting the construction from Sheme, Katsina State, on Sunday in Kaduna.
The project forms part of the larger dualisation of the Zaria–Funtua–Sokoto road corridor spanning Kaduna, Katsina, Zamfara and Sokoto states, a major federal highway network critical to regional trade, mobility, and security across north-western Nigeria, and currently being executed by multiple contractors across the affected states.
The minister explained that “Mothercat Nigeria Limited was handling phases one and two from Sheme to Zaria, while CBC covered about 105 kilometres to Talatan Mafara in Zamfara.” He said Triacta was working from Talatan Mafara to Gusau in Zamfara, while Setraco handles the section from Gusau to Sheme.
At the Zaria–Sheme axis, Goronyo praised Mothercat for delivering durable, high-quality work but described the project’s pace as unacceptable despite the complexity of the corridor. He said completion had risen from seven per cent during his last visit in 2025 to 17 per cent currently, stressing that such progress fell short of the government’s expectations.
Goronyo said the inspection was carried out on the directive of President Bola Tinubu through the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, alongside Directors who assessed projects along the corridor, as part of ongoing federal oversight of major infrastructure projects nationwide.
While acknowledging the challenges faced by contractors, he warned that excuses would not be tolerated and directed Mothercat to accelerate work in line with agreed timelines. The minister said the contractor promised to complete 21 kilometres on both lanes by March and about 98 kilometres within the next 11 to 12 months, adding that these assurances would be strictly enforced by the ministry.
He stated that Controllers would remain on site, submitting daily or monthly reports to the appropriate director at the ministry. “This will be to ensure that if there is any infraction, we will come back here to do the needful,” he said.
During his inspection along the Triacta corridor, Goronyo said the company had been restricted to about 37 kilometres along Maru to Zamfara. He added that both sides of the remaining sections would be reassigned to another contractor to ensure quality delivery and timely completion.
Goronyo reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to infrastructure development and thanked President Tinubu, Minister Umahi, the ministry’s staff, controllers and the media for keeping the public informed on the project’s progress. He urged contractors to maintain damaged sections of the road so that existing routes remain motorable and continue to ease the movement of motorists while construction is ongoing.
Earlier, briefing the minister, Ziad Karam, Project Manager of Mothercat Nigeria Limited, which is handling the Zaria–Funtua–Sheme road, outlined several challenges affecting the project. These included a substantial increase in the prices of construction materials, depreciation of the naira, approval of the rescoping of phase one, outstanding compensation issues, and right-of-way challenges at kilometre nine.
