Tag: Umahi

…as SE leaders drum support for Tinubu 

Minister of Works, David Umahi, has mandated the redesign of the Onitsha bypass for the 2nd Niger Bridge due to flaws and overestimation in the initial design.

He said the dumping of the initial design has saved the nation N300b.

This is as the minister directed contractors working on federal road projects in the Southeast and South-South regions to accelerate work while ensuring compliance with contract specifications.

In a statement by his media adviser, Uchenna Orji, the minister discovered the defective design of the 2nd Niger bridge bypass on Sunday, March 24, while on an inspection visit to the rehabilitation of  Enugu- Port Harcourt dual carriageway section IV (Aba-Port Harcourt) undertaken by China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation Ltd (CCECC).

The minister was accompanied on the project tour by the Deputy Chief Whip of the 10th Senate, Onyekachi Nwaebonyi, and leaders from various political backgrounds in the southeast, including former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) and former Senate president, Pius Anyim, as well as former national publicity secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Olisa Metuh, where they commended President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to rebuilding the country and his foresight in appointing a professional to oversee the Works Ministry.

Reaffirming the Renewed Hope administration’s dedication under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to safeguard Nigeria’s future and ensure its continuous stride towards economic growth, Umahi emphasized the non-negotiable commitment to constructing enduring road infrastructure with the most efficient design at minimal expense.

Umahi attributed his work ethic were some of the ideals in the Renewed Hope mantra under his Ministry including design and cost-effectiveness, speed and standard of job delivery as well as innovations that would guarantee zero maintenance and durability of road infrastructure in Nigeria, said, “And just only two days back, with these leaders, we went to Asaba to look at the design of the bypass of the second Niger bridge, and we went to Onitsha. 

“By that singular movement, we saw that the design was defective and we agreed on a new kind of design. 

“That was how we saved the country over N300b by that singular movement to that location”.

While giving a marching order to CCECC on its section of the road, Umahi said the contractors should always consider the sufferings of the road users as they set up their work plans, while urging them to ensure that the roads they are working on are made passable for commuters during the rainy season.

“We will not accept anything less than two to three sections working. And I’ve given seven days for this particular lane, that is, the upper bound lane to be totally repaired, to ameliorate the sufferings of the commuters. 

“I feel for them very highly. When you go through this road, you now need to take a number of painkillers. It’s not desirable. So I’m begging CCECC, the controller, and engineers to do everything possible in the next seven days and create a smooth sail on this right-hand side”, added.  

Read Also: Umahi threatens to terminate East-West road contract

The Minister who also visited the Upgrading of the 15km section of the East-West road section III:  (Port Harcourt – Eleme Junction to Onne Junction in Rivers State) handled by RCC, the rehabilitation of Enugu- Port Harcourt Expressway Section 3, Enugu- Lokpanta handled by CGC and the rehabilitation work at the collapsed bridge site at the New Artisan Bridge near NNPC mega fillings station Enugu Capital City, Enugu State, was quoted as expressing satisfaction with the job done but charged contractors to step up their pace to cover a milestone ahead of the rainy season. 

Of the project along Eleme refinery road, the Minister was quoted as saying, “We are upgrading the 15km road between Eleme flyovers to Onne junction. We are starting with excavation to fill all the failed sections to make them stable. And when we get to where stable, we build up the boulders. After boulders, we put up sharp sand, and after the sharp sand, we compact. 

“After the compaction, we put the first layer of stone base, 20cm first layer that will build up against another 10cm of stone base, we compact. After compacting, we leave it out for the traffic. So that it gets maximum compaction. 

“After that, we put 10 cm with 5% cement to stabilize it and make it very strong. That will make the road very stable and it will last for a long time.”

The minister, however, commended the President for creating the conducive environment necessary for him to effectively carry out the tasks assigned to him, saying, “I want to thank Mr. President, so much. He has done a lot in our road infrastructure. 

“He’s a man who wants all the roads to be completed as soon as possible. But let me assure him that I’m doing the best that I can with the fear of God and with commitment to his Renewed Hope agenda, which we all embraced.”

The stakeholders from the southeast, who joined the Minister on the inspection tour, also expressed gratitude to President Tinubu for his decisive and confidence-inspiring measures aimed at revitalizing the country’s economy, with competent aides appointed to support him in this endeavour.

While the Southeast leaders urged Nigerians to maintain their confidence in President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope administration, Sen. Nwaebonyi, who is also the Deputy Chairman of Public Accounts and member of the Works Committee of the 10th Senate said: “This is what we were lacking before, like he said here, he is not an office Minister. 

“He moves from site to site to ensure that the jobs are done according to specification. That is what we want in this country, and I want to commend Mr. President for finding him worthy. 

“This is the very first time an expert is leading this ministry, and I want to assure Nigerians that very soon, they will see the difference in all our projects.” 

On his part, former SGF, Sen. Anyim, said: “I want to remind you that the day the Honourable Minister took an oath of office, he had a reception and I chaired it and I reassured Nigerians that he would exceed their expectations. 

“I think this trip is a follow-up to that assurance to satisfy myself that he’s actually exceeding expectations. And I can tell you that it’s amazing. His passion, his expertise impact the design, the quality, the speed, the durability, and, impacts the style of project implementation. 

“And for the two days we’ve been on the road, it’s been like never before. And I want to say that I am proud that he is exceeding expectations. And I want to say that I have been vindicated that the President did not make any mistakes. 

“Again, I want to reemphasize, like my brother, there is a case of a square peg in a square hole. Thank you, Mr. President.” 

The former national publicity secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Olisa Metuh said: “I want to state clearly, publicly what I have seen in the past two days. In the last two days, I have witnessed things that I never knew were possible on the issue of road construction in Nigeria, especially on these roads. I’ve gone with the Honorable Minister. I have seen, I’ve been satisfied. I feel that it is a question of a round peg in a round hole. 

“Our request, Mr. President, is that the hope is real, and as long as the Minister is in charge, he’s being supported, he’s being funded, Mr. President is going to write his name in gold in the annals of our history for generations to come. 

“This will be a reference point about what he has done on our roads in the entire country. It’s a legacy project for Nigerians. I want to state that the most important thing is not only the quality of the roads that we have seen but the fact that it’s being done with the lowest amount of money. 

“What the Honourable Minister is saving the country, saving from the budget, saving the nation on the instruction of Mr. President is unquantifiable. This is democracy in action. Mr. President, thank you so much. We thank Mr. President and we thank you, Mr. Honourable Minister.”

• Accuses contractor of misbehaving

The  Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, has accused officials of Levant Construction Company of misbehaving on the reconstruction of the East-West Road, while threatening to terminate the contract.

Umahi, a former Governor of Ebonyi State, spoke yesterday during his inspection of the reconstruction of Sapele-Ologbo-Benin Road.

 He ordered the ministry’s supervising engineers to issue a warning letter to the contractor on Monday, and after 14 days should it fail to do the needful, he would personally terminate the contract.

Read Also: Umahi’s drive in works sector

The works minister, who was received by officials of the Federal Ministry Works in Benin and Edo State Ministry of Roads and Bridges, declared that most contractors in Nigeria were playing politics, which he would not tolerate.

 He said: “We paid multi-billion naira for this job. We will never pay Variation On Price (VOP) for the amount of money that we have paid. That is the problem with Levant Construction Company.

“You cannot do this kind of job in your country, it can only happen in Africa. You cannot collect our money and be misbehaving. It is a big shame. Look at how people are suffering everywhere, and we should be happy clapping for you.

“I have had more than ten meetings with them on this job. If anything goes wrong, they will be calling the President.”

 Umahi, who also inspected the Benin-Ekpoma-Auchi road, stated that President Bola Tinubu wanted the best for Nigerians and his administration should be adequately supported.

The Federal government has reiterated its commitment to newly introduced innovations to road construction in the country.

According to the Minister of Works, David Umahi, the new strategy focuses on boosting local content and implementing cost-effective engineering solutions to minimize project delays.

He instructed all Controllers of Works in the Ministry to ensure that from now on, all contractors utilize a 70 percent stone base aggregate with only a 30 percent dust base for road construction projects.

He also issued a 14-day termination ultimatum to a contractor for failing to justify the mobilisation fund paid for the job he was executing.

Describing the new approach as a significant game-changer in the economic recovery agenda of President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope administration, the Minister stressed its objective of bolstering indigenous resources, skills, and capacities.

The initiative, according to him, aims to provide more opportunities for local contractors in the construction sector, particularly in the innovative use of concrete technology, especially in challenging terrains nationwide.

In a statement on Saturday by his Special Adviser on Media, Uchenna Orji, the Minister addressed the issues on Friday during a project inspection tour of the East-West road and other roads in Edo and Delta States, where he expressed his impression of the quality of the ongoing projects.

Impressed by the remedial work being executed by indigenous contractor True Tech Nigeria Ltd on flooded sections of the East-West Road in Delta, the Minister assured that his Ministry would prioritize cost-effectiveness, wealth creation, and job opportunities for indigenous professionals and technicians.

Pledging to introduce engineering solutions aimed at minimizing delays in project delivery, the Minister was quoted as saying, “We have about 10 different washouts, which we are providing multiple culverts in place of a decompile, which would have been much more expensive.

Read Also: Umahi’s drive in works sector

“But our solution is very economical, and it will solve the engineering problems.

“And then we’re raising the road level above the flood level. And we are also using concrete pavement to do it.

“We’re also going to put solar light, at least let it be the signature of Mr. President, and that will be the microcosm of the macrocosm of what Nigerians should expect on our roads under the administration of Mr. President”.

While inspecting the dualization of Sapele- Agbor road, route no. 3 in Delta State by CGC Nigeria Ltd, he directed all Controllers of Works to ensure that all contractors use 70 percent stone base aggregate with only 30 percent dust base to form the base of the road construction jobs.

The Minister also counseled the Ministry’s contractors on the proprietary of adhering to the Ministry’s instructions and terms of the contract to avoid unnecessary frictions.

While commending a construction company for the good job being put in, the Minister gave another one a marching order to justify the mobilization fee he collected for the contract he was executing.

“CGC is known for a good job. I commend you for the one I have seen. It’s good, so we will do everything to assist you, but listen to our directive.

“Follow the existing asphalt, pulverize it, and put 20cm stone base. Don’t use dust base.

“To Geld Construction Nigeria Ltd/ Tracter Nigeria Ltd, after 14 days of this warning notice and there’s nothing happening, I will come and terminate the job”, the Minister was quoted as saying.

The Minister also inspected the rehabilitation of Warri- Sapele road via route no. 2, section 3 in Delta State, handled by SKECC Nigeria Ltd; the Benin- Warri road rehabilitation, section 2, Sapele- Imasabor, handled by Geld Construction Nig Ltd/ Tracter Nigeria Ltd in Delta State; Benin- Warri road, section 1, Imasabor- Benin in Edo State, handled by Levant Nigeria Ltd; as well as the Benin- Agbor route no 4 and Benin By-pass route 5 all in Edo State.

• Minister: President has resolved farmer-herder clashes

Works Minister David Umahi has said residents of the Southeast have no reason to join other regions to protest against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu over the rising cost of living in the country.

Umahi said the President had resolved the incessant farmers/herders clashes in the region.

He noted that such clashes contributed to the insecurity in the area and affected food production, leading to hunger in the land.

The minister said this while addressing reporters at his Uburu hometown in Ohaozara Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.

Umahi explained that the high cost of living in the country was the cumulative effect of past administrations’ actions and inactions, which President Tinubu has started solving through policies and programmes.

The minister said the Tinubu administration favoured the Southeast greatly through appointments to key positions, including himself, the first Minister of Works from the Southeast.

He said the administration has been doing many projects in the region, adding that with all these, the Southeast has no moral justification to join those protesting against the President over the high cost of living in the land.

Umahi urged residents of the region not to be lured by any group or other regions to join any protest against the President.

The former Ebonyi State governor described last week’s protest by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) as unhealthy and unreasonable.

He urged fellow Nigerians to be patriotic and shun any act that could.

“The present hunger that everybody is talking about didn’t start today. It’s a built-up to a number of factors. Before the past administration and present administration, we had been having a build-up of insecurity. We had farmers/herders clashes over a number of years…

Read Also: Why southeast will not protest against Tinubu, by Umahi

“At a time, I was the Chairman of NEC committee on resolving farmers/herders clashes. So, I went through a number of states, especially the northern states, settling the farmers/herders clashes, and it yielded a number of fruits.

“That problem dealt a huge blow to food production. The issue of kidnapping and the issue of insecurity prevented farmers from going to their farms because here we are talking about hunger.

“And so, you expect the administration of President Tinubu to fix all those things within nine months? It’s not possible. It’s a cumulative effect of the past, like I have mentioned. We should be asking ourselves: how do we solve these problems? That’s what the President has started doing. When something has got to the climax, you don’t expect to resolve it overnight.

“If you check very well, especially in the Southeast, you will know that we no longer have incessant farmers/herders clashes. So, why should we join the protest when the President has solved our major problem? The problem we now have in the Southeast is self-inflicted. That is the issue of unknown but known gunmen.

“So, if we are protesting, who are we protesting against? We are protesting against a President that has solved herders/farmers clashes. If you remove the issue of unknown gunmen, the Southeast will be completely safe and farmers can work. So, we can’t go and join anybody to protest.”

Minister of Works, David Umahi, on Sunday, March 3, said the people of southwest have no reason to join other regions of the country to protest against President Bola Tinubu over the rising cost of living in the country.

Umahi said the President has resolved the incessant farmers/herders clashes in the zone that that contributed to the insecurity in the area and affected food production and caused hunger in the land during the clashes.

The minister stated this in his Uburu hometown, Ohaozara local government area of Ebonyi state while interacting with journalists.

He noted that the high cost of living in the country was the cumulative effect of past administrations that President Tinubu has started solving through various policies and programs. 

He averred that Tinubu administration favored southeast greatly through appointment of sons and daughters of the zone in positions of authority including appointing the first Minister of Works of southeast extraction.

Umahi explained that the administration has been doing many projects in the region and that with all these, southwest have no moral justification to join those protesting against the President over the hardship in the country.

He called on the people of the zone not to be lured by any group or region and join protest against the President.

The former governor of Ebonyi state described the NLC protest last week as unhealthy and unreasonable and urged the people of the country to be patriotic.

“The present hunger that everybody is talking about, didn’t start today. It’s a built up to a number of factors. Before the past administration and present administration, we have been having a build up of insecurity, we had farmers/herders clashes over a number of years at a long period of time.

“At a time, I was the chairman of NEC committee on resolving farmers/herders clashes. So, I went through a number of states especially the Northern States settling the farmers/herders clashes and it yielded a number of fruits.

“That problem dealt a lot of blow to food production. The issue of kidnapping, the issue of insecurity, prevented farmers from going to their farms because here, we are talking about hunger.

“And so, you expect the administration of President Tinubu to fix all those things within nine months, it’s not possible. So, it’s a cumulative effect of the past like I have mentioned. We should be asking ourselves, how do we solve these problems and that’s what the President has started doing. When something has gotten to climax, you don’t expect to dissolve it over night.

Read Also: Umahi inspects concrete, asphalted Sokoto-Kaduna dual carriage way

“If you check very well especially in South East, you will know that we no longer have incessant farmers/herders clashes. So,  why should we join the protest when the President has solved our major problem?  The problem now we have in south east is self-inflicted and that is the issue of unknown but known gunmen. 

“So, if we are protesting, are we protesting against who? We are protesting against a President that has solved herders/farmers clashes. If you remove the issue of unknown gunmen, South East will be completely safe and farmers can work. So, we can’t go and join anybody to protest”, he said.

The minister acknowledged that there is hunger and hardship in the country but that it will soon end.

“Yes, there is hunger, there is hardship but the darkest part of the morning is in the dawn. At the time, the morning will break, then, the dark is at its  utmost level.

“The truth remains that all over the country, you can see insecurity coming down. So, as insecurity would be coming down, then farmers can go to work. At least we can feed ourselves so that the issue of hunger can go away.

“You have to look at the intension of Mr. President. Is he concerned about all those things? Yes! Success creates another problem but you have to compare to the two. So, there are a number of reforms he introduced that resulted to the few hardship that you are seeing but it’s an attempt to completely solve the hardship.

“So, Nigerians should know the good intension of Mr President. So, South East have no reason to join the protest.”, he submitted.

The Minister of Works David Umahi said the second 372 of the 744 kilometres Sokoto-Kaduna dual carriage way will be pure concrete constructed in line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s renewed hope agenda blue print.

The former Ebonyi Governor said the first phase of 372 kilometres will be done with Asphalt,

Umahi, who was in company of the Senate Committee Chairman on Housing,  Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, made the disclosure in  Sokoto while explaining” If you calculate the 372 kilometers, because it is dual carriage way into two will give us total of 744 kilometers.”

Read Also: Roads: FG will not pay variation on 30%mobilised funds, delayed project – Umahi

“I am here to see things for myself, as you are aware, the Federal Government is embarking on 372 dual kilometers of road of which the first phase will be done with Asphalt, while the step down will be done with concrete.”

He said the dual carriage way by the Federal government will span from Kaduna to Sokoto State.

• Denies suspension of Zaria-Gusau-Sokoto highway project

The Minister of Works, David Umahi, has declared that the Federal Government will no longer accept delays in its road projects.

The minister said this will be enforced by discontinuing the payment of variations on 30% mobilised funds for the delayed projects.

He said strict adherence to the project timetable as stipulated by the contract is essential to prevent any unforeseen incidents.

The Minister, during a working visit to Governor Dauda Lawal of Zamfara State in Gusau on Friday as part of a project tour of the Northeast, stated that the ongoing Zaria-Gusau-Sokoto road project would not experience any discontinuation, as President Bola Tinubu has sanctioned its completion.

Umahi, in a statement by Olusola Abiola, the Ministry’s Director of Information, reassured that the funding matter for completing the projects has been resolved, with only approval from the National Assembly remaining.

The Minister was quoted as saying, after inspecting the ongoing work on the Gusau – Funtua Road, that there would be no variation on 30% mobilisation advanced to them.

“The contractors must know that I will never pay variation on mobilized funds or works that are delayed.

“Because if we do not obey the timetable, inflection and time will catch up with us.

“It’s the Federal Government that is losing. That’s why if we have little money to complete the project and we prolong it, then the Federal Government is unable to further source for funds”.

Umahi also addressed the rumoured suspension of the Zaria-Gusau-Sokoto road, assuring the governor that it was unfounded, saying, “Mr. President has not stopped the dualisation of Zaria-Gusau-Sokoto highway, rather the projects will be completed and the design would even be improved upon.

“There were rumours that Mr. President has stopped this project and even the NNPCL tax credit; that is not the truth at all. In fact, he has given more life to the tax credit of NNPCL.

“Though the NNPCL projects are not funded by NNPC 100 percent, we still have funding gap of over N2.7 trillion to get them completed.

Read Also: Tinubu committed to road infrastructure revolution, safety – Umahi

“Mr. President has approved that we should take the funding gap to the National Assembly for approval. So, he’s not just committed to the commitment of NNPC, but he’s committed to the entire completion of the projects.

“He is the one that has asked us to visit this project. Just like other ones, they are very important and key to Mr. President”.

While commending the quality of the job done by the contractor handling the project, the Minister said one of the major reasons for the inspection was to ascertain the cause of the delay of the project.

“We have not seen everything they are doing, but the little we’ve seen is excellent. In fact, that project, the neatness and quality looks excellent.

“My directive was what slowed down the job. But I have redirected, having come and examined the project”, he added

On the issue of payment of compensation to those affected by the dualisation of the roads, the Minister urged the affected State Government to emulate the commitment of Sokoto State that has agreed to settle all payments.

In his remarks, Governor Lawal commended President Tinubu’s vision for the road sector, acknowledging that the Minister’s dedication has significantly contributed to achieving the President’s objectives.

Expressing his elation at the continuation of the Zaria-Gusau-Sokoto highway, the governor pledged his administration’s support to the Federal Government, while requesting the Minister’s consideration for the rehabilitation of the Gusau-Dansadau road.

The Minister of Works, David Umahi, has reaffirmed President Bola Tinubu’s dedication to the nation’s road infrastructure advancement, aiming to establish safe and well-maintained roads that promote economic growth.

To realize this objective, Umahi expressed support for collaboration between the Ministry and the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC).

He announced that contractors handling federal government road projects would be directed to procure signage from the FRSC production plant.

The remarks were made on Monday, February 12, during a courtesy call by the management team of FRSC, led by Corps Marshal Dauda Aliu Biu, to the Minister in Abuja.

Represented by Permanent Secretary Yakubu Kofamata, the minister underscored the Ministry’s commitment to ensuring that contractors responsible for constructing and rehabilitating roads nationwide deliver high-quality infrastructure to bolster the country’s economic development.

According to a statement by the Ministry’s Director of Information, Olusola Abiola, the FRSC boss while emphasising the importance of the partnership disclosed that previous collaboration with the Ministry in 2023 had resulted in a reduction in road accidents by 22% and number of deaths by 25%.

Read Also: Umahi hails outcome of Ebonyi South Senatorial by-election

The statement reads: “Sen. Umahi called on all the stakeholders in the road sector to join hands together to ensure that the mandate of the Ministry under the Renewed Hope Agenda of Tinubu administration is achieved for the wellbeing of the people.

“While expressing the readiness of the Ministry to collaborate with FRSC, the Minister assured the delegation of adequate patronage of the Commission’s signage plant, stressing that henceforth, contractors handling the Ministry of Works’ road projects would be directed to patronise the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) signage production plant.

“This he said would be in line with the commitment to bequeath quality and motorable road network to the citizens. Earlier, in his brief remarks, the Corps Marshal, Federal Road Safety Commission, Dauda Aliu Biu disclosed that the collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Works in 2023 led to a reduction in road accidents by 22% and a number of deaths by 25%.

“He appealed for a strong collaboration with the Honourable Minister stressing the Commission will always welcome robust engagements with the Ministry, especially on issues of road signages, overhead bridges, adequate signs diversion, and other road amenities.

“The FRSC boss also requested the construction of trailer packs along Federal Highways and called for contractors to patronise the FRSC signage plant for the purchase of signages.

“He added that “this will improve the safety of our highways and easy travelling for economic development.”