Ododo Flags Off 38.5km Kabba–Olle–Bunu–Iluke Road, Sets 24-Month Completion Target

Kogi State Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo has flagged off the construction of the 38.5-kilometre Kabba–Oke Ofin–Olle–Iluke road in Kabba/Bunu Local Government Area, promising improved access for communities that have experienced years of transportation difficulties.

The flag-off ceremony took place on Thursday, November 12, 2026, at Community Secondary School, Oke Ofin. The project is expected to connect Kabba, Oke Ofin, Olle and Iluke, improving access to markets, schools, healthcare facilities and other essential services.

According to reports from the ceremony, the construction will be handled by Tech Engineering, with a stated completion period of 24 months. Ododo urged the contractor to maintain construction standards and meet the agreed delivery schedule, warning against unnecessary delays.

However, the project’s significance extends beyond the announcement of another road construction exercise. For residents of the affected communities, its eventual impact will depend on whether the work is completed to specification and whether the road remains usable after construction.

Poor road conditions have affected movement and local economic activity

The Kabba–Olle–Iluke corridor serves communities where farming and local trading are important economic activities. Poor road access can increase the cost of moving agricultural produce, make journeys more difficult and restrict residents’ access to public services.

In July 2025, the Voice of Nigeria reported that the Kogi State Government had pledged to rehabilitate roads in the Bunu district, including the Edumo–Okeoffin–Ayede–Olle–Iluke route, which was described as connecting more than 20 communities.

That earlier commitment illustrates how long road access has remained a concern in the area. The current construction project therefore represents a further step towards addressing a problem that residents and community representatives have repeatedly raised.

The governor also linked the road project to security concerns in the area. He recalled an incident in June in which suspected kidnappers allegedly attempted to abduct students of Iluke Secondary School while senior secondary school students were sitting their final examinations.

Ododo said improved road infrastructure could support security operations by making it easier for personnel and emergency services to reach affected communities.

Better access may also help residents travel for education, healthcare and commercial activities. However, a new road alone cannot resolve the security challenges facing rural communities; it must be supported by effective policing and other public services.

Kogi Government says it is financing the project

The road project has also attracted public discussion over its funding source.

In September 2026, Kogi State Commissioner for Education, Wemi Jones, clarified that the Kabba–Olle–Iluke–Bunu road was being financed entirely by the state government and was not a World Bank-funded project.

Jones said the government had commissioned a survey, engineering design and technical assessment following complaints about the road’s condition. He explained that the assessment recommended comprehensive reconstruction rather than routine rehabilitation.

The state government’s procurement notice, published ahead of the flag-off, listed the Kabba–Iluke–Bunu road as a 38-kilometre construction and rehabilitation project under an open competitive bidding process.

The same notice identified two other proposed road projects: the Idah–Onyedega road in Ibaji Local Government Area and the Odenyi–Oguma–Sheria road in Bassa Local Government Area.

Although the procurement notice identified the project as state-funded, the publicly available information reviewed for this report did not disclose the final contract sum. The flag-off announcement also did not provide a detailed breakdown of the project’s financial allocation.

There is also a slight difference in the published length: the procurement notice lists 38 kilometres, while the latest flag-off report describes the route as 38.5 kilometres. The government should clarify the final approved project length and make the relevant contract details accessible to the public.

What residents should expect during construction

The 24-month completion target gives residents a timeframe against which progress can be assessed. But the quality of delivery will be just as important as the completion date.

Key issues to monitor include drainage, road foundations, surface quality, bridges or culverts where required, and the treatment of sections that are particularly vulnerable to erosion and flooding.

Residents will also need clear information about the construction schedule, temporary access arrangements and how the contractor intends to minimise disruption to local movement.

The state government can strengthen public confidence by publishing the contract value, the contractor’s full registered name, the approved engineering specifications and periodic progress reports.

These details would help residents distinguish between ceremonial commencement and measurable progress on the ground.

For farming communities, the real benefits will become clearer when vehicles can move more reliably between settlements and markets, produce can be transported with fewer delays, and access to schools and healthcare facilities improves.

Ododo’s flag-off has formally moved the road project into its construction phase. Whether it ends decades of neglect, as supporters of the project hope, will ultimately depend on timely delivery, construction quality and sustained maintenance after completion.

For now, residents will be watching to see whether the 24-month promise translates into a durable road that serves the communities it is intended to connect.