The House Committee on Works led by Hon Akin Alabi hosted a joint committee public hearing on the use of concrete for road projects in Nigeria.
The hearing was well attended by stakeholders including representatives of the Ministry of Works, Nigerian Society of Engineers, Bitumen importers, Nigerian Building & Road Research Institute (NBRRI), Nigerian Society of Civil Engineers and contractors among others.
Chairman of the House Committee on Works, Hon Alabi, in his opening remarks, declared that the committee remains neutral, noting that the hearing is for all stakeholders to provide their inputs on the issue, its necessity and the cost-effectiveness of switching to concrete roads from the more popular asphalt solution.
Hon Alabi reiterated that the House will need the fact-gathering exercise to appropriate funds to the ministry in the upcoming budget defense process.
House Whip, Hon Usman Bello Kumo, who represented the Speaker of the House at the hearing stated the importance of the public hearing in order to introduce transparency to the process and help the executive receive the required feedback from stakeholders and the public.
In the first presentation, the Ministry of Works team led by Engineer Kuti explained that it is the resolve of the ministry to move to rigid pavement (concrete) as against the flexible pavement (bitumen/asphalt) on some major roads.
While noting that not all projects will move to concrete, he argued that concrete roads are cheaper to make and more durable in the long run.
He also said that the fact that cement can be locally sourced will reduce pressure on foreign exchange.
In his address, ex-President and Chairman of the board of trustees of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, Engineer Emeka Eze, said the most important thing is the quality control, design, planning and procurement process rather than rigid/flexible pavements.
Eze also stated that the House did not need to wade into the process as it is an executive decision.
The statement was immediately corrected by committee chairman, Hon Alabi, who said the constitution provided that the House should investigate all executive decisions that require the use of public funds.
In its argument, the Nigerian Building & Road Research Institute (NBRRI) representative stated that “we have only three per cent rigid pavement all over the world and asphalt is the most popular choice for governments and contractors even in countries that are underwater.”
He said that Germany had this debate 50 years ago and ended up choosing flexible pavement and we should focus on research on soil type and geographical differences across the country instead.
While steering clear from the debate on asphalt or cement, the representative of Gradient Bitumen, a major importer of Bitumen into the country, noted that the bitumen being imported are of the highest standards and are certified per global requirements.
Another stakeholder and founder of Greenville LNG stated that concrete roads is double the cost of asphalt roads, adding that anyone that says otherwise is lying.
He also added that some contractors do not have the equipment or technical know-how to switch to concrete overnight while the financial cost of rigid pavement will be too much for Nigeria in the middle of a fiscal crisis.
Meanwhile, Hon Alabi, in his summary of deliberations at the hearing, noted that quality assurance, procurement process, funding, technical know-how and design are more important than rigid or flexible pavement.
He noted that during the committee’s tour of ongoing projects, lawmakers saw bad asphalt roads as well as cement roads that are already failing in the middle of construction,
Alabi, however, said the committee will present a report from the public hearing to the house for a resolution to be made.
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