Following his inspection of the long-abandoned Abuja-Lokoja and Lokoja-Benin Highways, the Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, is making good on his vow to finish the projects within a matter of weeks. Umahi has struck the ground running.
This assurance was provided by Umahi shortly after he had a meeting with the administration of the ministry, heads of agencies and parastatals, as well as contractors and stakeholders. Umahi also stated that his top priority was to ensure that those projects were finished in a record amount of time.
The minister, upon taking office on Monday, announced that he was going to begin his tenure by travelling around the nation to inspect various road construction projects located in each of the country’s six geopolitical zones.
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He also encouraged engineers to embrace the use of concrete technology in the middle of currency issues and petroleum crises. He emphasised that his office would support the use of concrete technology and patronise local content in building roads in order to stimulate economic growth. In addition, he said that the use of concrete technology would be one of the primary ways that his office would promote economic growth.
The former governor of Ebonyi State suggested that his primary business is not to remain in office but rather in the field, and he asked for the cooperation of the management and employees in order to bring about the transformation that is envisioned by President Ahmed Bola Tinubu’s renewed hope programme.
After hearing the briefs from various stakeholders, the Minister restated his stance on standards, concrete, and local content. He also stressed his willingness to work with contractors and help them, but he made it clear that he would not tolerate delays in delivery.
Additionally, he guaranteed that under his watch, documents would not be held for more than two hours before being attended to.
To quote him directly: “Under my leadership, no file will stay for more than two hours. In two weeks, I will be in the field and I will settle down only when I have seen that the files have piled up. We will activate local content during our tenure in the administration.”
Senator Gbenga Ashafa, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Federal Housing Authority (FHA), praised the Minister for his commitment to turn around the sector for national development and assured the full cooperation of the agencies and parastatals to allow him to succeed. He also commended the Minister for his commitment to turn around the sector for national development.
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The next development on Abuja-Lokoja road
After only twenty-four hours in his new position, David Umahi, the Minister of Works, has begun road inspections, beginning with the Abuja-Lokoja express road. He has also campaigned for the development of concrete roads because of its lifespan and resilience.
The decision was made by Umahi during his first inspection of the Abuja-Lokoja express way, which he performed alongside Yahaya Bello, the governor of Kogi State.
The Minister has informed everyone that there will be a review and redesign of the road contract, and he has urged the contractors to investigate the use of concrete on all of the country’s roads. This is due to the fact that the use of concrete in road building is more cost-effective, and it can endure for up to 50 years without requiring any maintenance.
As a result, the Minister has issued a call to contractors, asking them to provide their price estimates for constructing roads out of concrete. The Minister has emphasised that concrete is the most important material for the job since it is resilient and can survive the stresses exerted by the vehicles and trucks that will be using the roads.