Kabba-Iluke-Bunu Road: Kogi Govt Says Project Is Fully State-Funded
Kogi State Commissioner for Education, Hon. Wemi Jones, addressing journalists on the planned construction and rehabilitation of the Kabba-Iluke-Bunu Road.
The Kogi State Government has commenced the process for the construction and rehabilitation of the 38-kilometre Kabba-Iluke-Bunu Road in Kabba/Bunu Local Government Area, with the state Commissioner for Education, Hon. Wemi Jones, describing the project as a government-funded intervention designed to address years of public complaints over the deplorable condition of the road.
Jones, who spoke at a press conference in Lokoja, said the project was conceived following persistent demands from residents and motorists who have endured difficulties using the road over the years.
According to him, the process began about 12 months ago when the state government directed a comprehensive survey and engineering design of the Kabba-Iluke-Bunu corridor.
He explained that the technical assessment showed that the condition of the road required more than routine rehabilitation, leading to the recommendation for comprehensive construction of the 38-kilometre route.
“The professional recommendation was for the total construction of the 38km road to bring lasting relief to our people,” Jones said.
The commissioner was reacting to what he described as “deliberate misrepresentation” of the project, particularly claims linking the road to a World Bank intervention.
He clarified that the Kabba-Iluke-Bunu Road is being financed entirely by the Kogi State Government and is not a World Bank project.
Jones said the clarification became necessary following the state government’s advertisement inviting eligible contractors to bid for road projects under an Open Competitive Bidding process.
The advertisement, published on September 6, 2026, according to the commissioner, included the construction of the Idah-Onyedega Road in Ibaji Local Government Area, the Odonyi-Oguma-Sheria Road in Bassa Local Government Area, and the construction and rehabilitation of the Kabba-Iluke-Bunu Road.
He further explained that World Bank-funded projects follow a different procurement structure, stressing that such interventions are undertaken through arrangements involving the Federal Government and the World Bank, usually through grants or loans with counterpart funding by beneficiary states.
As an example, Jones cited the ongoing Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) Project in Kogi State, which he said was explicitly identified in its procurement documents as a World Bank-financed intervention.
He maintained that the Kabba-Iluke-Bunu Road advertisement was issued by the Kogi State Government through the Ministry of Works under its Open Competitive Bidding process, with no World Bank involvement.
The commissioner urged stakeholders and residents of Kabba/Bunu to disregard claims suggesting that the road project originated from an individual or an external intervention.
Jones said the people of Kabba/Bunu were grateful to Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo for responding to their longstanding demand for improved road infrastructure.
He added that the project would improve movement along the corridor, support economic activities and provide relief to communities that depend on the road for access to markets and other services.
The commissioner also called for the issue to be removed from partisan politics, arguing that the focus should remain on the benefits the project would deliver to residents.
He said the people of Kabba/Bunu would continue to support the Ododo administration and its development agenda.
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