Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno inaugurated the construction of Maiduguri’s 113-kilometre ring road project on Monday. The project links the east, west, and southern parts of the city.

 The project, part of Mr Zulum’s urban renewal drive, aims to solve city congestion, address housing deficits, create jobs, and spur economic growth.

Inaugurating the project, Mr Zulum said it would be executed in phases, starting with Maiduguri-Kano Road to Maiduguri-Monguno Road via Maiduguri Road, covering 16.5km.

“Maiduguri, the capital of Borno, is experiencing serious challenges due to the influx of internally displaced persons. This is putting huge pressure on the resources to cater to the population’s needs, especially shelter.

“We are taking deliberate steps to decongest the city. The government has decided to start the first phase of the project, which is about 16.5km.

“We will not hesitate to expand this scope of work to cover the entire 113km on the ring road,” he said.

Mr Zulum charged the Ministry of Works and Housing to ensure quality work that would stand the test of time.

Also speaking, Mustapha Gubio, Commissioner for Works and Housing, assured the governor that the project would be completed in a timely manner while strictly observing all the engineering specifications.

The executive secretary of the Borno Geographic Information Service (BOGIS), Adam Bababe, said compensation of over N1.6 billion was paid to 732 persons whose farmlands were affected by the project.

He noted that residential, commercial, industrial, recreational, and institutional layouts would be established along the ring road in a land mass of about 2,000 hectares.