The Minister of Works, David Umahi, has said he will take the responsibility for any poorly constructed roads in the country under the current administration.
Umahi explained that the federal government had no excuse not to finish the road projects embarked upon, noting that the ministry was not afraid to wield the ‘big stick’ by terminating the contracts of any erring companies.
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He spoke on Thursday in Akure at the Federal Ministry of Works Town Hall meeting on the alignment of the Ondo State 63km segment of the Lagos/Calabar coastal highway.
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“We are committed to turning our stone to bread. There is no complaint, and we are not distracted. I will take responsibility for every faliure, any road that is bad, any road that is ongoing and not being constructed, but be assured that we are not sleeping,” he added.
Umahi revealed that the administration of President Bola Tinubu inherited over 2,000 abandoned road projects running into trillions of naira as of May 2023.
He however said President Tinubu was committed to the legacy projects that would last beyond his administration in the country, urging Nigerians to have trust in the current administration.
“One of the things we saw when we came on board was that Tinubu inherited 2,604 road projects as of May 29, 2023, worth over N13 trillion. The contractors were being owed N1.6 trillion for some of the jobs done.
“So, the President, a man of courage, still have to manifest all the projects inherited to fix them. Some of these projects are between 5, 17, 12, and 20 years. He believes that this project should be fixed in 14 months,” he said.
The minister said the Lagos/Calabar coastal highway passing through seven states would open up business opportunities, adding that the design for the section of the road in Ondo would also be concluded in November.
“Our books are very much open. We will conclude the design (for Ondo State) within the month of November and we will inaugurate it.
“We have directed that all federal road controllers should give us details of roads within their domain, whether awarded or not, so that by this Christmas, all federal high roads will be motorable,” he added.
In his remarks, Ondo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, commended Tinubu for always remembering the state in legacy projects.
The governor, who explained that the project was not a political one, said the road construction which had started in some other sections of the country would be a huge benefit to the people.
The Chairman, House of Representatives’ Committee on Work, Akin Alabi, commended President Tinubu for the initiative and the minister for working hard to get the desired results.
“We at the House of Representatives are fully behind the president and works minister. Our aim is that at the end of the day, we want Nigeria to work. We have to say bye-bye to the practice of contractors collecting money and not working.
”If contractors are not on site, don’t pay them because that is one of the biggest scam in the ministry,” he said.
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