The Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, on Thursday, said he would take responsibility for any poor-quality roads constructed and executed by the current administration in the country.
This comes as the Minister disclosed that over 2,000 uncompleted road projects across the country, amounting to trillions of Naira, were inherited by the President Bola Tinubu administration.
Umahi disclosed this in Akure, the Ondo State capital, during the Federal Ministry of Works town hall meeting and stakeholders’ engagement on the alignment of the 63km segment of the Lagos/Calabar coastal highway in Ondo State.
He said, “One of the things we saw when we came on board was that Tinubu inherited 2,604 projects total as of May 29, 2023, running to N13 trillion and contractors were being owed 1.6 trillion for jobs done.
“So, the President, a man of courage, has to manifest all the projects inherited to fix them. Some of these projects are over 20 years, five years, 13 years, and 17 years. But the President believes that this project should be fixed in 14 months, and if it is not fixed, I will take responsibility.”
Umahi lamented that there had been little or no monitoring of projects in the past by either directors or controllers, resulting in shoddy work nationwide.
He underscored the need for transparency in the award and variation of contracts, explaining that he would not sign any final certificates unless full explanations were provided, adding that contractors should no longer wait for mobilisation.
“We are committed to turning our stone to bread. There is no complaint. We are not distracted.
“I take responsibility for every failure, any road that is bad, any road that is ongoing and not being constructed. But be assured that we are not sleeping.
“We have terminated over ten contracts of big companies and we have the mind to terminate more, and you can’t dictate for us; we will tell you what we want.”
“Our books are very much open. We will conclude the design (for Ondo State) within the month of November, and we will inaugurate it.
“We have directed that all federal road controllers should give us details of roads within their domain, whether awarded or not so that by this Christmas, all federal highways will be motorable.”
Umahi, who noted that the road would pass through seven states and open up new businesses, assured that the design for the section of the road in Ondo State would be completed in November.
The Works Minister disclosed the Federal Government’s commitment to dredging the ocean in Ayetoro as part of a medium-term solution to the perennial flooding threatening the town’s existence.
He said the sea incursion would be tackled, adding, “We are coming back after your election to start the Aiyetoro project which will get started after this one.
“Nigerians should be grateful that we have a listening president. He is committed to all sectors. This country still has a lot of potential.”
Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa commended President Tinubu for prioritizing legacy projects in the state, noting that the project was not politically motivated.
He acknowledged that work had already begun in some sections and said, “The President is supporting us economically. I want to thank you for all the other projects in the country.”
“This project will be of huge benefit to us; that is why we are going to cooperate with the Federal Government and the contractors.”
Earlier, the Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Works, Mr Akin Alabi, commended President Tinubu for the initiative and the Minister for working hard to achieve the desired results for Nigerian roads.
“We in the House of Representatives are fully behind the President and Works Minister. Our aim is that, at the end of the day, we want Nigeria to work. We have to say bye-bye to the practice of contractors collecting money and not working.
“If contractors are not on site, don’t pay them; that’s one of the biggest scams in the ministry,” he said.
A representative of the riverine communities, Mr Banji Okunomo, appreciated President Tinubu for prioritizing the construction of a road passing through their region.
Okunomo noted that the 93km shoreline of the riverine areas had been disconnected for too long, urging timely delivery of the project and assuring an enabling environment to support its success.
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