The Minister of Works, Engr. David Umahi says the president’s administration is rebuilding almost all roads across the country because roads constructed over the past 30 years have been substandard, requiring each to be worked on.
During Tuesday’s inspection of the Abuja-Kaduna highway, the Minister blamed the failed roads on the construction model.
He said this is evident in sections of the Julius Berger construction company’s completed projects on the Abuja-Kaduna highway, which have developed potholes.
“The construction method is one of the problems because you can find out that they removed the asphalt when Berger was doing the job. They said they want to grind it with laterite. It’s not a good construction method because they brought new litter on the road. This road, there’s the California Bearing Ratio, the CBR and the strength of the sub-base. So when you remove this and bring fresh latrite, the compaction and consolidation will not be as strong as the one that has consolidated over the years. And so it is bound to fail. And that’s why you see that what Berger completed was beginning to see failures, even while they were constructing.”
“Asphalt has a shelf life of 25 years. And so, after 25 years, the cost of wearing has decreased. I want Nigerians to know this. All our major roads, whether Lagos-Ibadan, East-West Road, Abuja to Kano, or Lokoja, Enugu-Onitsha, or Enugu to Port Harcourt, name them, no administration has not worked on these projects. And the question you will ask is why?
“The reason is our construction method. That’s why I tagged it as President Bola Tinubu not constructing roads. He’s building roads.”
He, however, said the president is stopping this practice with the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano highway that will last for 50 years.
While assuring that section 1 of the project will be completed before the scheduled 12 months, it should be completed by February.
He said Section 1 starts from 4 kilometres into Kogi and ends at Katari. While Section 2 will also go ahead with that.
“The president has paid over 120 billion naira on this first contract, which shows commitment and love for the country’s people, especially our northern brothers and sisters.”
“This project, the first project, N252 billion, comprises about 118 kilometres of roads, 86 kilometres of concrete, and 17 kilometres of wearing course in Kano. We have about 6 kilometres dualised, which is an addition by Mr President at the end of the Kano section, an additional six by 2, that’s 12 kilometres.”
“Today, about 2 kilometres have been done on those 17 kilometres. The 6.6-kilometre by two is completed in the Kano section. They are putting solar lights there now.”
“On the 86 kilometres, we’ve completed about 26 kilometres of asphalt. So, we have 60 kilometres. Now, the commitment is that this road, the first contract, is supposed to last till April 2026, that’s 14 months. And that’s the promise we publicly made to Mr President in the Federal Executive Council. But our commitment now is to start in February. So, by February of next year, it will be 12 months. So, we will finish the first contract by February 2026.”
