The Minister of Works, David Umahi,says President Bola Tinubu’s administration is putting an end to over three decades of substandard road construction in the country through the implementation of durable, high-quality infrastructure projects nationwide.
Speaking during the inspection of the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano road project on Tuesday, he said the Federal Government had adopted new engineering standards and technologies to ensure Nigerian roads last 50 to 100 years without major repairs.
He explained that roads constructed in the country for the past 30 years had been substandard, saying, “because each administration works on them every time.
“The question you ask is actually why? The reason is our construction method, which is why I tagged it that President Bola Tinubu is not constructing roads. He’s building roads.
“That is what I insisted, that we will use this road to show an example of what we can do when we have the courage to take the project from Julius Berger.
“But one significant thing that the President is doing is that he is building roads.
“Shortly, we will see the roads. What statement is the President making? He is telling you that the roads he is building during his administration will last 50 to 100 years. You are not touching it.
“The problem of this country is that there is none of the major roads built in this country in the past 30, 40 years that each administration has not been working on.”
Umahi faulted the model contractors have been using for the roads, adding that the method of construction has been the problem.
He said, “When Julius Berger was doing the job, they removed the asphalt. They said they want to grind it with laterite.
“It is not a good construction method because they brought new laterite on the road.
“There is what is called the Californian Bearing Ratio(CBR), which is the strength of the sub-base.
“So, when you remove this and you bring fresh laterite, the compaction and consolidation will not be as it has consolidated over the years.
“So, it is bound to fail and that is why you see that what Julius Berger completed was beginning to see failures, even while they were still constructing.”
Umahi explained that asphalt had a shelf life of 25 years, saying,“So, after 25 years, it starts wearing off.”
He, however, said the president was stopping this practice on the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano highway, which would last for 50 years.
He assured Nigerians that Section 1 of the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano project would be completed before the scheduled 12 months by February 2026.
He explained that section 1 started at four kilometres into Kogi and ended at Katari, while section 2 would proceed accordingly.
Umahi said, “The president has paid over N120 billion on this first contract, and it shows commitment and love for the people of the country, especially our northern brothers and sisters.
“The first project, N252 billion, is made up of about 118 kilometres, and 86 kilometres is on concrete, while 17 kilometres of wearing course is in Kano.
“We have about 6 kilometers dualised, which is an addition by the President at the end of the Kano section, an additional 6 by 2, that’s 12 kilometers.
“Today, about 2 kilometres has been done on that 17 kilometres. The six kilometres by 2 is completed in Kano section. They are putting solar light there now.”
Also speaking, the Minister of State for Works, Bello Goronyo, commended Umahi and other officials for their commitment to delivering quality road infrastructure, especially on the Abuja-Kaduna road, due to its economic importance.
Goronyo said, “Once again, we are here to serve. We have no time to waste.
“We have up to 285 equipment along the road from Abuja to Kaduna, to make sure that we meet our target to finish on time or even before the time.”
He commended Tinubu’s drive towards infrastructure development.
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