Rickety Vehicles, Unruly Motorists Pose Threat To Road Infrastructure – Umahi

The federal government has intensified investment in road infrastructure costing citizens trillion of dollars in tax payers money and loans at exorbitant rates.

These infrastructure when delivered face existential threats by rickety vehicles and unruly motorists who disregard road safety precautions.

The minister of Works Engr. David Umahi recently revealed that over N2.13 trillion was being owed contractors for road projects.

He called on the affected contractors to come forward with evidence and claim for verification and payment in January 2026.

Umahi lamented that lack of supervision and commitment remains the greatest challenge facing the country in terms of infrastructure development.

Speaking on the gridlock experienced by commuters along Abuja-Lokoja Road, he said it was an embarrassment.

He blamed the Christmas traffic gridlock on the Abuja-Lokoja road on truck drivers unruly behaviour and the unprofessional response by security agencies on the road.

He attributed it particularly to dereliction of duty by the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC).

He said most sides of the roads have been turned to parking lots by heavy duty vehicles  while the agency looks the other way.

He threatened to go into partnership with contractors who will enforce no parking on road shoulders by charging fees for violators.

He said such revenue would be shared 50-50 between the government and the contractors involved.

“So for Road safety, I’ve told them to take their jobs seriously. If this continues, I will report them to the president.

Everybody in this country should do their work. They should do their work. You know, the president works from 8 in the morning to 10 in the night.

Who are we? We have to work. We don’t just pretentiously shout a new book. It has to be a script and a reality,” he said.

Speaking on generated certificates for NNPC-funded projects, he said the president has graciously approved that the sum of N263 billion be paid to the contractors.

“NNPC has been directed to liaise with FIRS to ensure you are paid. That process is ongoing. On generated certificates under the Ministry of Works that have not been paid, accept my apologies.

He added “The Permanent Secretary will write to all contractors and direct the legal department to exit NNPC and the Ministry of Finance. We are not cancelling contracts, but since they are no longer funded by NNPC, we have to exit the agreement.”

Some of the notable bridges destroyed include the Lotto Interchange on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway which experienced another truck incident.

According to eyewitness reports, a low-bed vehicle carrying an excavator and a tanker carrying an NNPCL tank struck and damaged the same bridge beams, requiring major repairs.

The Karu Bridge, Abuja in May also experienced truck driver incident. At the Karu bridge, a Coca-Cola trailer’s brake failure led to a multi-vehicle crash, killing one person and injuring several others, reigniting calls for stricter night-time heavy vehicle restrictions.

In June 2025, a truck carrying oversized load destroyed parts of Keffi bridge and killed two road users.

The Kara Bridge on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway incident in October caused multiple trucks crash with one container truck falling off the bridge into the river, blocking the road and causing eight casualties.

Early in December, Ojuelegba Bridge, Lagos recorded such incident where a fully loaded 40ft container truck overturned, blocking the bridge and causing major traffic diversions.

Again, the Otedola Bridge, Lagos experienced a collision between heavy-duty vehicles which caused violent impacts, highlighting dangerous driving practices.

No fewer than 400 road projects are currently ongoing across the country including the four legacy road projects. Some of these projects were inherited from the previous administration.

According to the minister of Works, President Bola Tinubu’s legacy projects in the road sector passes through all the six geopolitical zones of the country.

The four legacy projects are the 750-kilometre Coastal Highway Legacy Project which begins in Victoria Island, Lagos, and ends in Calabar, Cross River State.

The road passes through the South-West, South-South, as well as the South-East zones of the country.

Another project is the Abakaliki – Abuja Highway, which commences at Abakaliki, Ebonyi State in the South-East, passing through several towns and villages in the North-Central zone and terminating at Apo in the Federal Capital Territory.

The Ilelah (Sokoto) – Badagry (Lagos) project is traversing the North-West down to the South-West zones and at the same time.

The fourth legacy project is to take off from Akwanga in Nasarawa State to Jos, Plateau State in the North-Central zone and passing through Bauchi, and ending in Gombe State, both in the North-East zone.

“These Legacy Projects should be welcomed and encouraged by all Nigerians for their economic derivatives rather than being politicised,” he admonished.

Funding of the legacy projects according to the minister is through public private partnership and will be rolled for a period to recoup investments and maintain them.