Ministry Justifies Minna-Bida Road Dualisation Project

The Federal Ministry of Finance and the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) have defended the Minna to Bida dualisation project, saying it had achieved approximately 75 per cent implementation within two years.

This assessment came from a courtesy visit by the IsDB project preparation mission to Niger State Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago at Government House, Minna yesterday.

The team appreciated Governor Bago for initiating the New Niger Development Project (NNDP), describing its institutional framework as a major innovation in accelerating development project implementation.

The head of the Federal Ministry of Finance delegation that accompanied the IsDB team, Mr. Idris Dahiru Barde, said the centralised Project Implementation Unit (PIU) established under the NNDP had improved coordination, reduced bureaucratic

bottlenecks and strengthened project delivery.

Barde disclosed that the Minna-Bida road project funded by IsDB, describing it as the best-performing IsDB-funded project in Nigeria.

“This has now placed the project PIU as the best-performing PIU in the IsDB portfolio based on the recent project assessment in October 2026. In fact, most states were asked to understudy Niger State PIU to improve their project delivery,” he added.

The operations team leader of IsDB, Mr. Imtiaz Alam, commended the governor for his administration’s commitment to

development and the effective partnership established through the NNDP.

Alam disclosed that IsDB was set to establish five modern smart boarding schools in Niger State under its $110 million Smart Education Transformation Project (SmartEdu).

The project which also covers Yobe and Jigawa states, is aimed at modernising educational infrastructure, strengthening digital learning and expanding access to quality education.

Chairman of NNDP, Alhaji Abubakar Mustapha-Bida, assured the IsDB delegation of the state government’s commitment to ensuring a smooth and speedy project preparation process without unnecessary administrative bottlenecks.

Governor Bago in his remarks appreciated IsDB and the Federal Ministry of Finance for their continued partnership and support for the New Niger Agenda.