Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, has raised the alarm that some contractors are ganging up against the federal government over its decision to cease the use of asphalt for road construction in favour of concrete.
This is as the minister vowed that the government will press on with the initiative because it is only interested in what will serve the people.
Umahi spoke with correspondents at the presidential villa in Abuja on Tuesday, saying that President Bola Tinubu has given his approval for the construction of 18,897 kilometres of road totalling N14 trillion inherited from previous administrations.
He explained that the government is not against the use of asphalt but is concerned that the prevailing geological conditions in areas where such roads are constructed especially in the North-Central and the whole South South do not allow the roads to last.
Explaining why the government prefers concrete roads, Umahi said: “We are saying people should not construct roads on asphalt but if Nigerians are saying they should not have value for their money, that roads should be continued to be constructed every year, the same roads,
that is very unfortunate. And that is what my ministry is fighting.
“We are ready, I’m very courageous to defend this.
“I learned there is a gang up by contractors but there is no going back and Mr. President is back in this position.
We are offering an alternative. What is the alternative?
“The alternative is what high tech is doing in Lagos with Dangote. The alternative is for you to go to Apapa-Oshodi Expressway and see what they are doing on concrete.
“Every day you have over 500 static loads from the wharf loaded on that road, you will not see any crack. No asphalt work, no matter who did it can sustain that.
“So we are saying that concrete is very friendly with water and so we want you contractors to have an alternative.
“There is a catalyst in the use of concrete pavement. It will create jobs for our people. Everything about the construction is local. 10 manufacturers of cement have indicated interest in building cement factories. That is good for our economy. It will reduce pressure on the naira.
“The road is going to be much more durable. And some people say it’s more expensive. It’s not more expensive. Some people put even three binders on their road construction, I guess the roads will fail.”
He further said: “So, where we are now is a fight that if you want to do Asphalt work, nobody has told contractors not to do asphalt work, but there conditions.
“Nigerians are witnesses to the failure of asphalt, especially in the North Central part of this country and the entire southern part of this country. And the reason is not far-fetched. We have a lot of rainfall in these locations. We have very high underground water. And so asphalt definitely is a big problem.
“But if you insist you want to do asphalt that’s not a problem, but the conditions are that you will guarantee Nigerians that when you finish this asphalt road, job, which you are very sure it will not fail within at least 15 years.
“The design shelf life is 20 years but assure us in writing from a reputable insurance company and from their own company that this road will not fail within 15 years.
“We are witnesses to see all the road constructed from Warri to Bayelsa to Port Harcourt, the east-west road. They have completely failed, they are constructed on asphalt. Sometimes they construct these roads below the floodplain.”
The minister alleged that some individuals in his ministry are fighting him, vowing to flush them out and send them to the Independent Corrupt Practices and related offences Commission (ICPC).
“There are some elements within the ministry that are also fighting me, who are also benefiting from the system and that is the greatest problem we have and I just pretended. I will flush those elements out and send them to ICPC to handle them because nobody can hold this country to ransom,” he said.
Umahi explained that with the mechanism of funding the identified roads by the Bola Tinubu administration “we are sure of funding of about N5.1 trillion then leaving N6 trillion gaps. And this N6 trillion funding gap is as of May 29, 2023.
“And so if we go by the level of argumentation and price increases, which is one of the basis of our fight, if there is anything like fight, is that we don’t have this N6 trillion to complete this project based on what we have heard.
“And if we allow the escalation both in terms of scope and in terms of variation of price, then we are very sure that we will not be able to complete even 20% of the present roads going on.”
Speaking on the approval by President Tinubu, the minister added: “He is committed to the completion of this 18,897 kilometres of roads. And I want to thank him. It shows that governance is continuity and it shows that it’s all about the welfare of the people.”
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