The Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, says he is ready and set for a fight with all federal contractors who are resisting the use of concrete technology in the execution of road projects in the country.
The minister has always advocated against the use of asphalt for the construction apparently due to poor complaints of poor quality of such roads.
This was made known by Umahi during a meeting with contractors handling projects in the North-West.
No jobs for contractors not using concrete technology
Umahi said the use of asphalt by some of the contractors is a source of funds depletion for the government and any contractor who is not ready to work with the concrete technology will have no jobs offered to them by the ministry.
The minister commended the immediate past Minister of Works, Babatunde Fashola, for doing a “great” job.
The new minister, who commended the contractor handling the ongoing work on the Abuja-Kaduna road, also expressed concerns about the slow pace of the work and the overly technical design by the contractor.
Umahi advised contractors to be reasonable with costing quotes and also seek ways to cut their projects into phases to enhance easy assessment and monitoring of progress made.
What you should know
- Umahi had on Thursday, August 24, 2023, while featuring as a guest on a Channels Television programme, Sunrise Daily, said that the ministry under his supervision will construct long-lasting roads. He noted that
- He spoke while featuring on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Thursday. Umahi, a former Ebonyi State governor, said this can happen with the use of technology.
- He said, “We have to begin to look at figures and prioritize our needs in this country. But I promise Nigerians with the directive of his excellency, the President, that any roads we do with our new technology – 50 years, nobody is going to maintain it. So, money will be saved and money will be rightly spent in our tenure.’’