The Minister of Works, Engr. David Umahi has rejected the ongoing construction on the popular East-West road after the Federal Government paid N71 billion to the contractor handling the project.
Umahi who berated the contractor for the quality of work done on the road, which he said has failed, also revealed that despite the fact that the contract’s sum was reviewed from N44bn to 144bn, the handlers have no intention to give back commensurate value for the money.
The Minister while recently touring the road, including other roads in Kogi, Edo, Delta, Bayelsa up to Port Harcourt in Rivers, has also summoned directors of Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) with their engineers from Edo, Delta, Bayelsa and Akwa Ibom, to find solutions to the delayed road projects.
The Minister said “The gimmicks the contractors are using is the excuse of overloading, I am passing a vote of no confidence on the construction of this road, I won’t certify anything on this road, the road has failed and it is not acceptable to us.
” The road is full of potholes, we have paid over N71b and the road has completely gone down, and the road has been further reviewed from N44b to 144b billion, apart from the beautiful bridge you have built, the road has completely gone down, project manager tells your team to meet me in Abuja on Monday to tell me what has caused the failure on the road.
” I do not accept it is an overloading truck, our roads are not properly being constructed and I demand that these roads must be properly constructed, it is a fight that Nigerians must win and Mr President must win this fight for the sake of the Nigerian people to truly enjoy the dividends of a democratic Government”.
The Minister added, “ I have invited all the Directors of Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) with their engineers from Edo, Delta, Bayelsa and Akwa Ibom, they should be able to attend to the small failures and redeem all the places that failed on the road and I will hold a meeting with Niger Delta Development Commission (NNDC ) Managing Director this evening to find out how we can collaborate on this road”
New Telegraph gathered that ” the East-West Road ranks amongst the most challenging civil infrastructure projects undertaken by the government of Nigeria. Extending 188 kilometers, it connects the Niger Delta cities of Lagos in the west, with Calabar in the east. On its route, the road links up with the vital commercial hubs of Port Harcourt and Warri.
