Despite the release of more than N3.22 billion for repairs and rehabilitation of the Gombe–Dukku–Darazo road between 2018 and 2025, major sections of the 72-kilometre highway remain badly deteriorated, leaving motorists to contend with potholes, failed shoulders, erosion and recurring accidents.
A WikkiTimes investigation found that 21 companies and two individuals received payments linked to interventions on the road construction during the period under review.
The payments covered emergency repairs, embankment recovery, washout reinstatement, failed carriageway rehabilitation, engineering design, flood mitigation and other interventions. Yet site visits and interviews with residents, commuters and transport operators showed that significant sections of the road remain in poor condition.
The situation has raised questions about the effectiveness of repeated government spending on the strategic highway, which connects communities in Gombe and Bauchi states and serves as an important route for the movement of people, agricultural produce and other goods across the Northeast.
How 23 Entities Shared N3.2bn
Public records show that the government allocated N3.22 billion to not fewer than 23 beneficiary companies. Yet road users say the larger parts of the road remain broken.
WikkiTimes review of the payment records on Govspend, a public accountability platform, show that 21 firms and two individuals were paid the money to execute projects ranging from emergency repairs and embankment recovery to failed carriageway rehabilitation, washout reinstatement, engineering design and vegetation control.
According to the records, Royalfront International Limited received about N467.2 million which is the highest payment to a single entity, followed by Emma Ventures Investment Ltd with N418.4 million, and Abshu General Merchandise Limited, which got N246.7 million.
Others among the largest beneficiaries include Genesis Impression Global Investment Nig Ltd with N222.9 million, YGD & Sons Nigeria Limited with N210.4 million, Saloguru Nigeria Limited with N180.2 million, Shazumami Nigeria Limited with N179.3 million, and Naseem Corporate Service Limited, which received N170.9 million. Records further show that Mainstream Contractors Nigeria Limited received N158.6 million, while Wakema Construction Company Limited got N134.9 million.
The payment trail also identified companies with allocations below the N120 million threshold. Multigate Corporate Development Ltd received N116.9 million, while Look for World Nig Ltd got N103.2 million. Consultancy-related payments also appeared in the records, with Protradec Integrated Services Limited receiving N91.5 million for engineering design production linked to the road project. Other beneficiaries include Hamilton Corporate Business Limited (N83.9 million), Cleupet Nig Ltd (N73.6 million), Kateenab Logistic Venture Limited (N71.2 million) and Direct Concept Limited, which received nearly N71 million.
Also, Mbela General Merchants Nigeria Ltd received N38.5 million, Building Effects Ltd (N35.3 million) and Ayemlo World Services Ltd (N33.7 million). The records also showed direct labour-related payments to two individuals — Kalla Audi, who received N10.8 million, and Ibrahim Umaru, who received N9.5 million — for interventions connected to failed carriageways and embankment repairs.
Earlier interventions concentrated heavily on emergency washout recovery and failed sections, while later payments included engineering design consultancy, flood mitigation and larger rehabilitation components.
Yet evidence and residents interviewed across communities tell a different story.
While the Federal Ministry of Works made some internal attempts to respond to the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act letter, FERMA did not, three months after the request. Follow-up visits to the FERMA office in Gombe also received no response before publication.
Contractors Give Conflicting Accounts
WikkiTimes contacted several contractors named in the payment records. While some declined to comment or failed to respond, others provided explanations that raise questions about the implementation of the projects.
A representative and director of ABSHU General Merchandise Limited, Shuaibu Yahaya, denied that the company did not execute any work on the Gombe–Darazo axis.
Although he acknowledged that the contract was awarded to the company, Yahaya said it did not receive funds to execute the project.
“I know the work was awarded, but no money was released, and therefore no work was done,” he said.
His claim contrasts with government payment records reviewed by WikkiTimes, which show that the company received about N246.7 million linked to interventions on the road.
Emma Ventures Investment Limited, another major beneficiary, gave a different account.
Its director, Ndubuisi Chukwuemeka, said the company completed its assigned work and was subsequently issued a certificate of completion following inspection by officials of the Federal Ministry of Works.
“We did the work, and we were issued with the certificate of completion,” he said.
Meanwhile, Engineer Ignatus Ibiora, a director of Wakema Construction Company Limited, declined to answer specific questions about the contract, saying he was not directly involved with the project site. He promised to connect WikkiTimes with the appropriate project officer but no further response was received despite subsequent efforts.
For commuters and residents who navigate the road, the taxpayers’ money released increases concern about value for public spending. While billions flowed through government channels and multiple contractors handled interventions over seven years, motorists continue to dodge potholes, commercial drivers battle mounting repair costs and communities along the road remain burdened.
Federal Ministry of Works
Although the ministry did not directly respond to WikkiTimes, the documents obtained show that the FOI request triggered internal correspondence within the ministry. After receiving the request dated May 8, 2026, the Federal Controller of Works in Gombe forwarded it to the Minister of the Works through the Director of Highways (North-East), requesting the details of payments and the implementation status of the road project.
In a follow-up memo, the Gombe field office again transmitted status reports on six ongoing and abandoned intervention contracts along the road to the ministry’s headquarters for further necessary action, even though no formal response was eventually sent to WikkiTimes.
Long before the FOI request, the ministry acknowledged serious implementation problems on some of the contracts.
In a Warning Letter dated March 20, 2023 to one of the contractors, Multigate Corporate Development Ltd., the ministry stated that the contract, valued at N491.45 million, was awarded on July 28, 2021, with work scheduled for completion within three months after commencement on October 20, 2021. However, according to the letter, the company abandoned the project and demobilised from the site in July 2022 without notifying the ministry, leaving the work at an early stage even though the contract had already exceeded its scheduled completion period by more than five times.
The ministry accused the contracting firm of disregarding its contractual obligations and admitted that the abandoned project had caused severe hardship to motorists and communities along the route.
In response to the findings of this investigation, an official in the Federal Ministry of Works – whose name was not published for not being authorised to respond – maintained that payments made to contractors along the Gombe–Dukku–Darazo Road were tied strictly to certified work executed on site.
According to him, the ministry does not provide mobilisation funds for emergency repair contracts, explaining that contractors are only paid after officials verify completed portions of work and issue interim certificates. He said every payment captured in government records corresponded to physical work that could be verified through site inspections, photographs, and certification documents.
He, however, acknowledged that several contractors abandoned their projects after receiving payments for certified stages of work, disclosing that some companies completed only the first phase of their contracts, received payment for the certified portion, and subsequently failed to return to the site. But the official did not indicate whether the ministry had sanctioned any contractor for violating the contractual agreement.
According to him, anti-corruption agencies, including the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), had visited the project to inspect the status of the contracts.
The official also admitted that some completed sections had deteriorated shortly after execution, a situation observed during this investigation.
Why Does the Road Keep Failing?
Experts say the repeated deterioration of the road cannot simply be attributed to age or heavy traffic.
Engineer Bello Umar Jada, Head of the Department of Civil Engineering Technology at the Federal Polytechnic, Bauchi, said premature road failure is commonly associated with poor-quality construction materials, inadequate workmanship, inappropriate asphalt mix designs, weak drainage systems and traffic loads exceeding the road’s design capacity.
He explained that highways connecting states are expected to carry heavy-duty trucks and trailers and therefore require stronger pavement structures than roads designed for lighter traffic.
According to him, roads constructed below the required specifications are likely to deteriorate rapidly.
He added that conventional bitumen used for flexible pavements in Nigeria is generally expected to last between 15 and 18 years when properly designed and constructed.
While payment records show more than N3.22 billion was allocated for emergency repairs over the years, the reality on ground shows that the road is still riddled with potholes, failed shoulders, washouts and deteriorated pavement, leaving motorists to continue bearing the cost.
This investigation was supported by the Budeshi Media Grant, an initiative of the Public and Private Development Centre (PPDC)
