…Says ‘I’m ready to fight contractors’
The Minister of Works, Mr. David Umahi, has assured Nigerians that the reconstruction project of the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano highway would be completed by the end of 2024.
Umahi, who disclosed this in Kaduna when he paid a courtesy visit to Governor Uba Sani, said the federal government had placed priority on reconstruction of all federal roads that are presently in bad shape. He added that he and his team were in Kaduna following a presidential directive to tour all the six geopolitical zones of the country to assess the status of ongoing road projects.
Umahi said in line with the importance that President Bola Tinubu attached to the North-west region, “President Bola Tinubu instructed me to personally inspect this project and report directly back to him, which is why we are here.
“Yesterday, we had a meeting with the South-west contractors. Tomorrow, we will have a meeting with all the contractors working in the North-west region. On Saturday, we will focus on North Central, and on Sunday, we will turn our attention to another region.”
The deputy governor, Dr. Hadiza Sabuwa Balarabe, who received the minister on behalf of the governor, expressed satisfaction with the resumption of work on the Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria road project, appealing to the Federal Ministry of Works to ensure speedy completion of the project to improve security.
He appealed to the minister to during the second phase of the project, consider and ensure completion of the Kaduna Eastern Bypass which commenced in 2002, was reviewed in 2017 and had a completion dateline of 2021.
“I want to extend our congratulations to you from the governor, the government and people of Kaduna state on your well deserved appointment by President Bola Tinubu to oversee the Ministry of Works and Housing. This appointment is a testament of the trust and confidence the President has in you, as judged by your sterling performance in Ebonyi state, as governor.”
Contractors
In a related development, the works minister on Friday said he was ready to fight any contractor that resisted the concrete road design for the construction of the nation’s roads.
Addressing the North-west contractors in his office in Abuja, he lamented that the use of asphalt in the construction of roads was having negative effects on the country’s economy.
Umahi, an engineer, said concrete roads were cheaper and more durable, and wondered why contractors were bent on using asphalt in road construction in the South-south, South-west, South-east, and some parts of the North-central.
He commended his predecessor, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola, for his efforts and achievements, saying he did “a beautiful work.”
