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Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, has described the statement credited to former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, on the 700 km coastal road projects as a gross misrepresentation of facts and figures, and a ploy to mislead Nigerians by darkening counsel without knowledge.
“He (Atiku) doesn’t understand figures. I am going to run figures for him to understand, and he will understand how prudent the administration of President Tinubu has been. He will understand how prudency is taking centre stage in this administration. The President has once queried me on the cost of ongoing projects nationwide. I had to analyse every basic rate of construction materials to arrive at our unit rates. I showed it to Mr. President. He still thinks I should bring down the cost of projects. At the same time, the contractors are crying that I am oppressing them so much by reviewing the costs of their projects downwards. They lamented that what they were getting before, they are no longer getting it now. They cried out. But when I run the figures, Nigerians will see what this present administration is doing. So, I’m not here to run the figures now. I will do that in a press conference on my visit to Lagos from April 10 to April 12.”
Umahi assured that the President Bola Tinubu-led administration would remain committed to a diversified and sustainable economic future of Nigeria, and this he is doing in the works sector through aggressive infrastructure development that would provide access to trade, tourism, industrialisation and safety, along the local economic corridors.
He noted that despite the skyrocketing cost of materials in the construction industry caused by the dynamics of commodity price inflation and supply chain disruptions, the administration will remain prudent, cost cost-effective as well as deliver quality road projects.
He also
On the economic importance of the coastal highway, he said, “I will tell you the economic benefits of the project and how the coastal road is tying the entire country together. It’s not tying just South-South and South-West. It is tying the North and South together. We are starting a project from Badagry to Sokoto, and we have a spur on this coastal route to that route and the African Trans Sahara Road that is passing from Enugu to Abakaliki to Ogoja to Cameroon which has a spur to the North”.
Umahi stated this when he inspected some ongoing road rehabilitation projects.
Projects inspected by the Minister include the Enugu – Port Harcourt dual carriageway section 4 (Aba – Port Harcourt) handled by China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation Ltd (CCECC), and the 23-span flyover bridge project at Eke-Obinagu Junction (NNPC Depot), along Enugu Abakaliki Road, Enugu State handled by Reinforced Global Resources Ltd, the rehabilitation work at the collapsed bridge site at the New Artisan Bridge near NNPC mega fillings station Enugu Capital City, Enugu State handled by CCECC, the rehabilitation of Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway Section 3, Enugu- Lokpanta handled by CGC, the Rehabilitation and Reconstruction of Enugu-Port Harcourt dual carriageway section 2 (Umuahia Tower-Aba Township Rail/ Road) in Abia State, handled by the Arab Contractors and the reconstruction of the dualized 15km section of the East-West road section III: (Eleme Junction- Onne Port in Rivers State being executed on reinforced concrete pavement like the coastal road) handled by RCC.
He commended the pace and quality of work on the projects he visited but harped on the need for the contractors to heed the project delivery timeline.
“The reinforcement is very good, the concrete is very good, the speed is not very good, so they have to increase their speed. If RCC doesn’t increase their pace, I will take out a portion of this road and give it to another contractor. We will not want contractors to stay on a job like this 15 km dualization for two years or more”, he said.
