Kwara state government has said that it has given over 90 per cent of its ongoing over 22 infrastructural projects to be handled by local contractors in order to encourage them and particularly stimulate the economy of the State.

Commissioner for Works, and Transport Engineer Suleiman Rotimi Iliyasu who disclosed this in an interview with journalists in Ilorin on Thursday during an inspection visit to some of the ongoing projects, said that the
projects such as roads and flyover projects are located in the three senatorial districts of the state.

Engineer Iliyasu, who said that the state government had earlier collated a list of local contractors in the state at the inception of the administration towards patronizing them, added that "we want indigenes of the state to get the best in what we are doing".

"We believe they will do well with strict supervision on our part in order to adhere to the scope of work as stipulated in the contract. Most of our road projects are being done by some local contractors who have lots of other investments in the state spanning long years even before I was born.

"Their workers are indigenes of the state, they are also indigenes of the state. We want Kwarans to get the best in what they do.We believe that by so doing we will further support them and even stimulate the economy of our dear state in no small means".

The commissioner listed some of the projects to include dualization of Yebumot-Adeta Roundabout-Oloje road, General Babatunde Idiagbon flyover at Tanke, Tanke-Oke Odo ring road, St. Clair's road, Offa, Banni township road in Kaiama local government, Osi-Obbo road, Abdul Azeez-Oja Oba road, Ilorin, Ibrahim Taiwo-Ita Amodu road, Ilesa-Baruba Gwanara road, Ilesa-Baruba township road, Owode-Ofara-Alabe road, Ooloru township road in Moro local government, Lanwa road, Otte and Eyenkorin roads leading to Balah community in the Asa local government area.

Engineer Iliasu said that most of the infrastructural projects were aimed to attract investors, adding that investors always want to see what governments have on the ground before they come in.

He noted that "Completion of the roads would make a business thrive better. Markets along these roads would open more to encourage socioeconomic development. Investors would want to come to Kwara state more.

"For instance, in Banni town, we did Maigida to Banni road in 2020, it opened up the already big Banni market the more as more people ply the road. Unlike in the past when people spend like 3 to 4 hours from Ilorin to get to Banni, the journey has been cut to one and half hours. It also makes Kwara state have a better image as a state with good roads. We are proud to say that the roads would still benefit our people in the next 20 years.

For his part, the Chief Resident Engineer, Engineer Joseph Bamgboye, at the ongoing Babatunde Idiagbon flyover site at Tanke, Ilorin, said that the flyover is a major project connecting four major axes in the state capital.

Engineer Bamgboye, who is also the assistant director of, Kwara state ministry of Works, said that the flyover project would solve persistent traffic gridlock in the area, stressed that "with about 80 per cent of the traffic volume from the University of Ilorin".

He also said that piling and relocation of pipelines among other works had commenced on the project, assuring people of high quality of the job.

"Two segments are involved in the flyover project, consisting of 54 metres bridge, 850 metres in and out landing and there's the approval of the NNPC because it is working with the state government".

At the site of the Tanke-Oke Odo ring road project, Engineer Omolola Awolola from the ministry of Works said that the 1.85 kilometre with 7.3 metres width is a feeder road to such densely populated and farming communities as Balogun and Jalala.

"It hopes to improve quality of life as the bad state of the road had discouraged investment and socio-economic development. The people that would benefit from the project have expressed joy that the completion of the roads in three months would improve the quality of their lives.

"We intend to make all the roads of world-class standard. So, we call on our people living outside the state to come home and invest because the state is ready in terms of infrastructure. You can imagine going to Oyo state to bring in road equipment after exhausting local sources. I think our people can invest in that".