The Minister, Federal Ministry of Works, Sen. Dave Umahi, has made a revelation that it would take Nigerian government a whopping sum of Seven Trillion Naira to fix federal roads in the South-East.
The former governor disclosed this, at the weekend in Owerri while inspecting some of the ongoing rehabilitation of Federal roads in Imo State such as Amanwozuzu-Uzoagba-Eziama-Orie-Amakohia Road in Ikeduru Local Government Area of the state.
He expressed sadness over the sufferings of people of the South-East resulting from the deplorable condition of roads while promising that the challenges would be things of the past.
The Minister while expressing his dissatisfaction with what he described as unseriousness of the contractor Fig Fyne Construction Company, ordered the termination of work at Amanwozuzu/Uzoagba/Eziama/Orie/Amakohia road.
He said: “I am not impressed with the job being done by the contractor, Fig Fyne Construction Company. I have not seen the achievement of the company handling this road”.
The Minister further maintained that the project will be redesigned with concrete and be re-awarded to another contractor unless the company currently handling the project will work on the new concrete design.
At the ongoing rehabilitation of Achingali-Udoobi-Udo-Na-Umu- Uwanna-Ubakala road, the Minister appreciated the work of the Contractor, Sukuk Construction Company for a well-done work.
According to him, the remaining parts should be completed with concrete, adding that it should be placed on the road with concrete the weight of 15 centimetres (cm) or 150 millimetres (mm).
He said: “The other carriageway should be done on the concrete of 200 millimetres (m) thickness”.
Inspecting the Ikot-Ekpene- Aba -Owerri Dualization road, Phase 1, being handled by Arab Contractor which is 11klm dualised, the Minister expressed satisfaction with the quality of work done by Arab Contractors adding that all their jobs have been progressive.
He said that the contractor has completed one carriage way up to the wearing cost and created an additional one adding that on the new existing one, they have rehabilitated 3klm up to binding cost.
Umahi directed the Arab Contractors to try as much as possible to cover it immediately at the wearing cost of up to 2klm
He identified funding as their problem while blaming it on budget adding that they have done well despite being owed N600m which he said is not too bad.
He said: “the job was done seven years back and that was when they put the wearing cost, but a closer look at the wearing cost one will see that all the cheapens are exposed as if the bitumen on top of the wearing cost is washed away”.
The Minister blamed the situation on the adulterated bitumen being imported into the country describing it as the significant course of Ashphalts failures in the country.
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