No Existing Federal Road Can Last Seven Years – Umahi Makes Declaration

No Existing Federal Road Can Last Seven Years – Umahi Makes Declaration

The Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, asserted that no existing federal road can maintain its quality for up to seven years. This conclusion was drawn from his extensive road inspection tour across the nation, where he observed that many roads have deteriorated significantly, resembling “boreholes” rather than proper roadways.

Umahi expressed his disappointment with the substandard work carried out by contractors over the years. He addressed contractors from all six geo-political zones at the ministry headquarters in Abuja on Tuesday.

The minister expressed concern over the use of subpar materials by contractors for road construction in Nigeria. He noted a recurring pattern where contractors inflate project costs, exploiting contract variations and relying on asphalt, the price of which is linked to international crude oil prices.

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Umahi also raised questions about unauthorized additional work undertaken by contractors and urged them to seek proper authorization. He stressed the crucial importance of comprehensive documentation and clearance procedures, making it clear that contracts would not be approved without the necessary design plans and original road blueprints.

He said, “There is no project being constructed right now in Nigeria that is going to last for seven years. The question is are we going to be maintaining or reconstructing our roads every 10 years? That is what we have been doing. I travelled from Abuja to Benin City through Lokoja, all the stretches of the road are on contract, and ongoing, this is through the policy of the last administration but how much of the roads are motorable? I travelled through the roads myself and I shed tears for the kind of pains our people are going through.”

“I spent 14 hours on the road having started my journey at 10 am and got to Benin City at 2 pm the next day and I was very happy I experienced the pains. President Tinubu said I must travel through all the projects so that I could brief him on my experience and tell him the truth.

“Unless Mr. President does something about our procurement, his lofty intention to help this country may not be achieved. documents will be sent to the Bureau of Public Procurement for a no-objection certificate and it will stay for six months. How will the contractors do the additional job you directed them to do without backup authorisation.”

The minister expressed criticism towards workers in the ministry for their inadequate supervision of road projects. He also rebuked the entire construction industry in Nigeria, attributing the poor state of roads to a combination of factors, including a lack of professionalism and the use of outdated construction methods. The minister instructed all contractors to revise their projects using concrete technology instead of asphalt. He firmly stated that any contractor not complying with this directive would not receive payment.

Addressing concerns about potential increases in cement prices if the government shifts to concrete roads, the minister refuted such claims, dismissing them as part of a concerted effort to tarnish his reputation by influential figures within the construction industry.

“This is my line of instructions and I will do whatever the president instructs me to do he is the only one and God that can cancel my instructions so don’t waste your time reporting me to anyone apart from these two. No matter the amount of blackmail and lies, it will not prevail, the minister reassured.

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