Tag: Umahi

The minister of works, Dave Umahi has emphasised the importance of embracing new technologies in the construction of our road infrastructure across the country.

The minister who spoke through the director of Highways Construction and Rehabilitation, Adedamola Kuti, made the call at a one-day public hearing Organised by the House of Representatives Committee on Works, Environment, FERMA, and Justice.

The stakeholders in the construction sector were also called to prioritise quality assurance and control measures in the construction sector regardless of the materials used in construction.

The minister said embracing new construction methods will enhance the Development of robust and long-lasting roads.

This is coming on the heels of the debate on whether the country should adopt concrete technology in the construction of highways or stick to the usual asphalt.

He however admitted that the use of concrete will be used on overburdened roads.

Read Also: FG will not back down on concrete road pavement, Umahi vows

The chairman board of trustees of the Nigeria Society of Engineers and a former president of the society, Emeka Ezeh said the nation must critically consider some factors in the use of concrete and Asphalts.

The national chairman of the Nigerian Institute of Highway and Transportation Engineers, Saidu Hassan expressed concern about the paucity of funds available in the federal budget for road projects.

He said rigid pavement is not strange to the country, adding that both asphalt and concrete roads have their advantages and disadvantages.

While saying both technologies should be used where it is necessary, he warned against truncating existing contracts and converting them to concrete roads, saying it would be as breach of the contractual agreement.

A Representative of Nigeria Building and Research Institute, Engr Akimmade Daniel explained that the old Specification and design is one of the reasons why road construction fails in Nigeria.

The chairman of the joint Committee, Akin Alabi who expressed concern over the poor road Construction in the country agreed with stakeholders that quality assurance and control was best to address the state of roads in Nigeria.

He said the house would continue to provide the needed legislative backs to ensure that the road sector meets international best practices.

The minister of works, Dave Umahi has declared that the federal government remains steadfast in its choice to use concrete pavement for suitable roads nationwide and will not reconsider this decision.

Umahi attributed the increasing resistance to the adoption of concrete pavement to the selfish motives and sabotage of those opposing the alternative road construction strategy.

He said: “Those who are complaining and demarketing this policy are simply those who do not wish Nigeria well and they are the same people that use adulterated bitumen in their projects while putting pressure on our Naira through the importation of adulterated bitumen instead of developing our abundant God-given bitumen deposits in Ogun state and other parts of Nigeria.

“Insofar as this new policy has not violated any law, the Federal Ministry of Works is forging ahead with this new policy. 

“As of today, most of the ongoing projects are still ongoing with asphalt pavement in line with this new policy while some are redesigned on concrete pavement, depending on the terrain and with a full understanding of the affected contractors of those projects.”

In a statement on Monday, November 27, while warning contractors handling Federal government road projects to adhere strictly to the new road policies, Umahi said the government would not tolerate a breach of contract by any recalcitrant contractor.

Read Also: Road construction: No controversy over asphalt, concrete use, says Umahi

The statement read in part: “The Federal Ministry of Works is shocked to observe the various acts of darkening counsel without knowledge of the position of the Ministry on the use of asphalt and concrete pavement in the development of our road infrastructure by people who have vowed not to release their hands off the brake of our road infrastructure development just for their selfish gains.

“The Federal Ministry of Works has at no time banned the use of asphalt or directed that concrete pavement shall be the only means of road pavement structure.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the new policy of the Federal Ministry of Works is simply put as follows: contractors for all the ongoing projects are simply requested to have a choice to continue to use asphalt or have their projects redesigned on concrete at no extra cost to the government following the under listed conditions.

“Use of asphalt: contractors shall stick to only 5% Variation On Price (VOP) in line with the signed contract agreement throughout the period of the project and the signed contract shall not be subject to review, especially on bituminous items.

“The thickness of the asphalt pavement as designed must be strictly adhered to by all such contractors and the design shelf life for the asphalt (at least 15 years) shall be guaranteed by issuing an insurance bond through a reputable insurance company in favour of the federal government.

“This is in line with Article 2 of the signed contract and Clause 51 of the general conditions of the contract (which is part of the documents forming the signed contract with contractors that authorize the client through the Engineer to change the scope of the work, the quantity of the work, the quality of the work as the client may deem fit at any time, etc.) for all the ongoing projects.

“These directives to the contractors do not in any way violate the Federal Ministry of Works’ signed agreement with the contractors.

“For the use of concrete, contractors must abide by the 5% VOP and 50 years design shelf life using concrete grade 40.”

The Minister of Works, David Umahi, has again reiterated that there was no controversy over the stand of the ministry on the use of either asphalt or concrete in the construction of federal roads across the nation.

He said each technology has conditions attached to its deployment on Nigerian roads.

According to Umahi, the clarification became important several factors came up over the alternative of concrete technology only because “all things are not equal and can only be understood by professionals and not by people who have no knowledge about it.

“When you start to compare asphalt and concrete, it is as if all things are equal, where all things are not equal, because there are many factors why we are emphasizing the use of concrete, nevertheless, people speak about a profession they have no knowledge about.”

The minister made the clarification on Thursday night when the President of the Nigeria Society of Engineers (NSE), Engr. Tasiu Wudil paid him a courtesy visit to his office in Abuja.

He noted that the stand of the ministry is not about comparing asphalt pavement and concrete pavement, saying, “if you are using either of them, there are certain conditions according to the terrains in different states that will require our roads being built with concrete as well as that concrete must be used as pavement.

Read Also: There goes Obasanjo again! 

“We are not just comparing asphalt and concrete, no, that is not what we are doing, first of all, for the use of asphalt, these are the conditions, also for the use of concrete, these are the conditions, but there are certain terrains in States that we stressed must use concrete, we cannot change that. You cannot put asphalt in water but you can put concrete into water”.

The minister, in a statement on Friday, November 14, by the Assistant Director of Information, Clement Ezeorah, explained that since it is the federal government that is funding the huge road projects, it has to be cautious taking into consideration the budgetary allocation of the Ministry of Works.

The caution stemmed from the alarming rate at which the prices of the two key products fluctuate which made the comparison imperative for the government, having discovered that the increment in asphalt is geometric while concrete is in arithmetic progression.

While soliciting NSE’s technical support for the Ministry’s activities, Umahi declared that the Ministry will partner with the Society in the supervision of all road projects across the country.

He however expressed concerns over the commitment of professionals to road construction supervision, saying the greatest challenge experienced in road construction is the problem of supervision caused by lack of commitment where chasing of money is placed over and above professional ethics.

While affirming that the Ministry is committed to providing adequate supervision to all road constructions across the 36 States and the FCT, the Minster said: “If we are committed to public things, God will give you new ideas, if you are not committed to public things, you will not get new ideas.

“We are going to partner with NSE in the supervision of all road projects and will also emphasize the need for retraining schools across States. Engineering is wide, if you are a professional engineer, you will not have problems with professional ethics.”

According to Umahi, the first job of NSE is to instill discipline among members by setting standards for membership with the emphasis that any unethical action committee against the profession by any member attracts being disrobed

He added: “The first job of NSE is to bring discipline, you have to bring us under your leadership so if you hear that a member has committed fraud, you can disrobe him and it is not everyone that will answer the name -Engineer.”

The minister also encouraged NSE to improve on members’ professionalism by establishing two training schools, one each in the North and the South, while pledging his support for the projects.

• · Ajaokuta Steel to provide 16% component of concrete roads

The Federal Government is stepping up efforts at reviving Ajaokuta Steel Company and the construction of 30,000 kilometres of roads with concrete.

Works Minister Dave Umahi said the government would need $35 billion to construct the road projects with concrete to derive maximum benefit for the country.

Umahi, who spoke after a meeting with Steel Minister Shuaibu Abubakar Audu on the strategy to execute the project, noted that Ajaokuta Steel Company had become a critical component of the project.

He said the government was determined to tap into the opportunities in the steel industry to create jobs and wealth for Nigerians as well as create a global market and encourage national industrialisation.

A statement yesterday in Abuja by Umahi’s Chief Press Secretary (CPS), Uchenna Orji, said the meeting between the two ministers was in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu who has shown his determination to reverse the negative trend of Nigeria’s developmental history with a determination to revolutionise national economic development within the shortest period.

Commenting on the outcome of their meeting, Umahi said Audu would play a major role in the road infrastructure revolution plan of President Tinubu by providing more than 16 per cent of the materials needed for concrete pavement. 

He said: “How do we reactivate Ajaokuta Steel? We are going into concrete roads? In those concrete roads, about 16 per cent of them would comprise steel while 30 per cent is cement. 

“We need a lot of money to start, but we decided to face it. God has given us an idea. We need about $35 billion to start. 

Read Also: Abbas, Umahi, others unveil Nwifuru’s wife’s pet project

“If we start waiting for the Federal Government, it might become difficult. We did Return On Investment (ROI). From the profit we could have made, part of it will go to banks’ interest. We are looking at commercial banks, but the Federal Executive Council (FEC) has to endorse it. 

“If this could be done, it means Mr. President is living up to his words, and this is going to be possible.”

Praising Audu for his efforts at developing the nation’s steel industry, Umahi described steel as the bedrock of Nigeria’s industrialisation and the backbone that stimulates national development as well as economic boost for industrial growth. 

Audu said his meeting with Umahi was robust and incisive, adding: “We are seriously thinking outside the box to see how we can implement the Renewed Hope Agenda of Mr. President. 

“What we came to discuss here is how to restart steel production at Ajaokuta Steel plant. The Minister of Works has made it very clear that the Federal Government is looking to develop over 30,000 kilometres of roads and a large component of that will be from steel wrought, and a percentage of that steel wrought would be produced in Ajaokuta.”

The Federal government is stepping up the reactivation of Ajaokuta Steel Company as it embarks on the construction of 30,000 kilometers of concrete road nationwide.

The government would need $35b to execute the road project that would be sourced creatively for maximum benefit to the country, the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi has said.

Umahi, who spoke after he met with the Minister of Steel on the strategy to be deployed to execute the project, said Ajaokuta Steel Company has become a critical component of the project as the government is determined to tap into the opportunities in the steel Industry to create jobs and wealth for Nigeria’s population as well as create a global market and encourage the nation’s industrialization.

Umahi’s Chief Press Secretary (CPS), Uchenna Orji, in a statement on Tuesday, said the inter-ministerial meeting between the two Ministers was in keeping with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu who has shown his determination to reverse the negative trend of Nigeria’s developmental history and revolutionize national economic development within the shortest period.
Speaking on the outcome of their meeting, Umahi was quoted as saying that the Ministry of Steel Development would play a major role in the road infrastructure revolution plan envisioned by Mr. President by providing more than 16% of the materials needed for the construction of Nigeria’s roads in concrete pavement.

Umahi said: “How do we reactivate Ajaokuta Steel? We are going into concrete road, in this concrete road, about 16 percent of it is from steel while 30 percent is cement.

“We need a lot of money to start but we decided to face it and God has given us an idea, we need about $35 billion to start.

“If we start waiting for FG it might become difficult. We did Return On Investment (ROI), the profit we could have made, part of it will go to bank interest, we are looking at commercial banks but the Federal Executive Council has to endorse it.

“If this could be done it means Mr President is living up to his words and this is going to be possible”

While commending the Minister of Steel Development for his efforts in developing the steel sector, Umahi noted that the steel industry is the bedrock of Nigeria’s industrialization and the backbone that stimulates national development and economic boost for the industrial growth of any nation.

He pledged collaborative efforts to enhancing the potentialities of Ajaokuta Steel Plant- the largest Steel Mill in Nigeria, saying, “Mr President never made a mistake in his appointment, I call him a Divine President, and the most important thing is that our eyes are on the job.

“One of the Renewed Hope Agenda of Mr. President is to think outside the box, Mr. President inherited a large chunk of debt from the past administration, the beauty about it is that he is not complaining, he knew how the country was before he took the job and how it is.

“The good thing is that if you have passion for something God will give you an idea”.
Earlier, the Minister of Steel Development, Audu said the meeting was robust and incisive, adding, “We are seriously thinking outside the box to see how we can implement the Renewed Hope Agenda of Mr President.

Read Also: Nothing will make me quarrel with Nwifuru, says Umahi

“What we came to discuss here is how to restart Steel production at Ajaokuta Steel Plant. The Hon Minister of Works has made it very clear that the Federal Government is looking to develop over 30,000 kilometers of road and a large component of that will be from Steel wrought, and a percentage of that Steel wrought will be produced in Ajaokuta.

“We came to discuss how to implement the process for producing it in Ajaokuta within the shortest possible time.

“And we are to achieve two or three things, one, to create job opportunity for Nigerians as a whole, two, to ensure that the corridor around the North Central Zone and the Ajaokuta-Warri axis is busy with activities and third, the plant has been inactive for close to four decades and we are here to restart the plant within the shortest possible time”.

Nigeria will fast-track the completion of its 79.5-kilometre section of the 1,028-kilometre Lagos-Abidjan highway, Works Minister Dave Umahi has said.

Nigeria has also sought a review of the extant execution process for a faster model while pushing for the use of concrete rather than asphalt pavement for the Nigerian corridor of the highway.

These were among the facts that came out of the briefing the minister received yesterday in Abuja on the construction of the highway from an Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) delegation, led by its Commissioner for Infrastructure, Energy and Digitalisation, Sediko Douka.

The Lagos to Abidjan road project was initiated by the Heads of State and Governments of the corridor member-states, namely: Benin (128km), Cote d’Ivoire (155km), Ghana (576km), Nigeria (79.5km) and Togo (89.2km) in Yamoussoukro, Cote D’Ivoire on February 28, 2013.

A statement by the Ministry’s Assistant Director, Clement Ezeorah, said while adapting to feasibility results and technical studies, Nigeria would fast-track the completion of its section of the highway.

Umahi described the development as laudable, stressing that it would enhance rapid growth of the sub-region.

The minister noted that for ease of work and speedy completion, the highway project should have processes, like sectioning the project, considering the peculiarities of the areas across the corridor.

He said some areas might be viable while others might not be.

“I think for ease of work and speedy completion, the project should be sectioned and put a process in place to make the project achievable because some sections might be viable while some other sections might not be,” Umahi said.

The statement said Umahi underscored the importance of the highway project, noting that the road project would propel rapid integration of the region, boost commercial activities, and improve social development, among member-states.  

The minister suggested the use of concrete pavement on the Nigerian corridor, saying there are a lot of advantages in using concrete in road construction without having issues of portholes or washout.

“Concrete roads have a longer lifespan. It can withstand heavy traffic loads, low maintenance, less affected by temperature fluctuations and this has been adopted by the Nigerian government.

“A lot of advantages in using concrete to construct roads: concrete roads last longer, compared to asphalt roads. It reduces the need for frequent repairs and maintenance. It’s stronger and can withstand heavy traffic loads. It also has low maintenance. This has been adopted by the Nigerian government,” he said.

Read Also: Umahi’s thorny path to concrete road technology

Umahi said while adapting to feasibility results and technical studies, Nigeria would fast-track the completion of its section of the highway, describing it as laudable and would enhance rapid growth.

“We should fast-track the completion of our own section following the feasibility result and technical studies and design. A laudable project for rapid growth and development,” he said.

Douka said Africa’s economic integration was hampered by large deficits in its transportation infrastructure.

He said the 2050 ECOWAS Vision seeks to enhance infrastructure development recognised as a factor for economic growth and integration of people that would greatly contribute to the creation of a regional environment favorable to the free movement of people and goods.

He added that the steering committee of the project comprised the Ministers of Work of corridor’s member-states and the Commissioner for Infrastructure of the ECOWAS Commission.

The minister is an automatic member of the committee. 

Their role, he said, is to provide oversight guidance for the implementation of the project and each of the ministers reports back to their Head of Government.

Also, the Director of Infrastructure Department at ECOWAS, Malik Ashoke, explained that the link bridge between Nigeria and Cameroon had been completed and inaugurated.

But he said scanning machines and weighbridges had not been put in place.