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Minister of Works, David Umahi.
The Minister of Works, David Umahi, has affirmed President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to ensuring roads across all 36 states are in good condition.
He also announced in Akure, Ondo State, on Thursday that the state’s 63km section of the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway design would be concluded in November.
He stated this during a town hall meeting and stakeholders’ engagement on the alignment of the Ondo segment of the Lagos Calabar coastal highway, in Akure.
“We will conclude the design (for Ondo State) within the month of November and we will inaugurate it,” Umahi noted.
The Lagos-Calabar coastal highway is a 700-kilometre project designed to span nine states, aimed at improving connectivity and boosting economic growth along Nigeria’s coastline.
The Federal Government had inaugurated the Lagos and Akwa Ibom sections of the road.
Speaking at the town hall meeting, Umahi said the coastal highway was significant to the economic development of the affected states and the country in general.
He promised that the Federal Government was committed to restoring the Aiyetoro community currently battling sea incursion.
Speaking on the bad state of roads across the country, Umahi took responsibility and promised that the administration would fix them.
He said, “One of the things we saw when we came on board was that Tinubu inherited 20,604 projects as of May 29, 2023, worth over N13tn.
“At the time, contractors were being owed N1.6tn for jobs done. So, the President, a man of courage, said he would fix all the projects he inherited.
“Some of these projects are 20 years, 13 years, 17 years and five years. The President believes that these projects should be fixed in 14 months and if they are not fixed, I will take responsibility.”
The minister added, “We are committed to turning our stone into bread. There is no complaint. We are not distracted. I take responsibility for every failure, any bad road, any road that is ongoing and not being constructed.
“But be assured that we are not sleeping. Ondo State is an oil-producing state, which is a key state to the economy of our nation.
“The commitment of Mr President in this legacy project is not just constructing road, but it is an investment.”
Umahi promised that there would be no room for abandoned projects any longer, adding that any contractor who did not take the project seriously would have his contract terminated.
“We have terminated over 10 contracts of big companies and we have the mind to terminate more.
“You can’t dictate for us. We will tell you what we want. Our books are very much open,” he said.
The minister added that he had directed all federal road controllers to give details of roads within their domains, whether awarded or not, so that by the Christmas period, all federal high roads would be motorable.
He told Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, “We are coming back after your election to start the Aiyetoro project which will start 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,” he said.
In his remarks, Aiyedatiwa commended the President for the initiative of the coastal highway, saying the project was not a political one and had already started in other sections.
“He (Tinubu) 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,” the governor said.
The Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Works, Mr Akin Alabi, commended Tinubu for the initiative and the minister for working hard to get the desired results for Nigerian roads.
“We at the House of Representatives are fully behind the President and the 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,” the lawmaker stressed.
