Rural Roads Will Define Idris Administration’s Development Legacy- SA Jombali

Special Adviser to the Kebbi State Governor on Public Enlightenment and Orientation, Ibrahim Abubakar Jombali, has described Governor Nasir Idris' massive investment in rural roads as a defining feature of the administration's development agenda.

Jombali said road construction remains one of the most visible indicators of government performance, but noted that in rural communities, a road means more than asphalt and engineering works.

According to him, the recent approval and flag-off of rural road projects across the state have brought rural connectivity back to the centre of Kebbi's development discourse.
The projects, he said, cover routes linking Kalgo to Diggi, Tungar Lafiya, Maidahini, communities in Bagudo, Zuru, Sakaba, Fakai, Danko Wasagu and other locations.
"No one can deny the obvious fact that road construction is one of the most visible measures of government performance," Jombali said.

He noted that for a state with a large agricultural base, the state of rural roads has direct implications for productivity, trade, household welfare and cost of doing business.
"For residents of such communities, development is not an abstract concept. It is the practical difference between spending hours negotiating a difficult route and reaching a destination with relative ease," he said.
Jombali explained that poor roads increase transportation costs, restrict market access and weaken the economic potential of farming communities.

He said improved road network would make it easier for farmers to move produce to markets, help traders reach more customers and strengthen access to schools, health facilities and administrative services.

He, however, noted that roads alone cannot solve all rural challenges, stressing the need for complementary investments in agricultural extension services, storage facilities, electricity, education, healthcare and access to finance.

"Roads remain a critical starting point because they connect people to services, markets and institutions that would otherwise be difficult to reach," he said.
The Special Adviser said Governor Idris believes a village should not be treated as the end of government investment but as a productive centre whose contribution to the state's economy depends on infrastructure.

He stated that infrastructure projects provide citizens with visible evidence to assess governance, but such assessment must be based on verifiable records rather than partisan declarations. "It would be premature to declare the current road programme an unprecedented achievement without comparative evidence establishing how it measures against previous governments in terms of the number of roads, expenditure, geographical coverage and quality of delivery," Jombali said.

"Equally, it would be unfair to dismiss the initiative merely because it is being undertaken by a sitting governor," he added. He said the administration has distinguished itself by publishing project details, including contract values, contractors, completion timelines and implementation milestones.

"By publishing project details, the government has given residents a clearer basis for evaluating its performance," he said. Jombali said Governor Idris, though not an engineer, has shown meticulous attention to quality, supervision and long-term maintenance of the projects.

He said the governor has insisted that roads must be designed to withstand local conditions with adequate drainage and protective measures.
"The commencement of construction is only one stage in the life of a road project. The more difficult questions concern engineering quality, funding, supervision and long-term maintenance," he quoted the governor as saying.
He added that the governor was emphatic on quality delivery, saying: "We must do quality jobs."

Jombali further said the administration has established clear criteria for prioritising communities based on economic importance, population, access to essential services and severity of infrastructure deficits.
"This ultimately helped in ensuring that public spending responds to demonstrable needs rather than political considerations," he said.

He argued that the success of the programme should be measured by tangible benefits to ordinary residents.
"For rural communities, the measure of success is straightforward. Can farmers transport their produce more easily? Are journeys to hospitals less difficult? Can traders reach customers with fewer obstacles?" Jombali asked.

He said Governor Idris has deliberately avoided equating approval with achievement, focusing instead on completed and usable roads. "The people need completed roads, not merely promising announcements. They need infrastructure that works, not projects that exist principally in empty political communication," he said.

Jombali concluded that the rural road projects represent an opportunity to strengthen the foundations of rural development in Kebbi State, noting that their faithful implementation would improve connectivity, support livelihoods and expand economic opportunities.

"In the final analysis, the strongest evidence of good governance is not what a government says it intends to do, but what citizens can see, use and benefit from," he said.