By Chinedu Adonu

The honourable Minister, Ministry of Works, Senator David Umahi has ordered the contractors handling federal roads in South East to use concrete for the remaining dilapidated sections of roads in the region.

Umahi who made this known in Enugu on Wednesday during the inspection of federal roads in the South East, said he will continue to push for roads in the country to be built with concrete adding that, “our roads are not failing because of the basement but because of bad asphalts that are placed on the road”.

The inspection which commenced on Tuesday, 5th with Enugu State as the starting point and will end on Saturday, 9th of September.

He stated that the inspection was to ascertain the state of federal roads in the South East, adding that some errors were found and payment to some contractors have been stopped to allow a review the contracts

He however charged the contractors to focus on delivering the carriageways to create access roads for the users before tackling other road infrastructure.

Some of the roads inspected include the Ozalla- Akpugo-Amangunze-Isu Onicha (Enugu-Onitsha) with a spur to Onunwere in Enugu State done by Arab Contractors and rehabilitation of Old Enugu- Onitsha road also done by Arab Contractors.

Others were the construction of the Nenwe-Nomeh-Mburubu -Nara road with a spur from Obeagu-Oduma road, Enugu State, Rehabilitation of Nsukka -Ikem, Eha Amufu – Nkalagu in Ebonyi State among others.

“We’re advocating for concrete roads because they will last longer than asphalt roads. The concrete road done on the road that leads to Niger cem since 1950 is still intact and suitable without maintenance and that’s why we’re advocating for concrete roads. The other roads were part of the section of road built by Ebonyi on concrete for the past seven years and so this is the way to go.

“The quality of the work I have once  inspected is quite commendable but I have stopped certain payments until we  are able to come together to look at the review and so-called additional works because of funding,

“I have also directed that the spurs should come up on the second phase , so that we will be able to complete the major carriageways first before going to spots if we are funding.

“I discovered something that is technically unprofessional where contractor will put a binder cost and leave it for five, six, seven, eight years and find out that it’s failing and come back to tell the ministry that it has been disband and they will come up with augmentation and do a fresh binder cost before the real cost, it’s not acceptable. For the contractors that have done this, I have directed them to go back to the site and correct it. Henceforth no contractor should leave binder cost to last for one month before covering it because binder cost admits water and water absorbs the concrete and wash it away.

“And again, I have looked at two binder cords and wearing cords on our roads and I am safer doing it on concrete because it’s going to be cheaper. The case of RCC and Nigercart, if it was done on concrete it would be safer and cheaper and that’s why I have directed them that the right hand side of Enugu-Onitsha expressway be done on concrete.

“At Enugu, section 3 to Port-Harcourt section 3, being done by CGC, I have also directed that the carriage way be done on concrete. We are safer with concrete in the South East and that’s what we are going to do. I saw one road going to Ozalla, Isu-Onitsha and I am very shocked that four Bridges and additional works was said to be costing Fifteen billion naira (N15 billion). I have directed that the contractor and directors should come together and review it, because there is no way that job should cost us more than Four billion naira, (N4 billion) with additional work.

“So, this is what we do. When a contract is too expensive and the budgeting is low, the contractor can stay on site like what you’re witnessing, for ten, fifteen years without delivering the job. It’s not healthy for the contractor because he will be using his money in maintaining the road and equipment.

“Like this road, Obollo Afor- Nkalagu, because it was awarded in 2010, the whole shoulders have gone. Our position is that the contractor will repair the shoulder with concrete. We can pay for concrete but can’t pay for asphalt.

“When people make arguments that we are not sticking to concrete, I find it extremely very laughable because we’re witnesses to what concrete is doing to our road and I continue to say that the bitumen imported into this country is adulterated. Our roads are not failing because of basement and other but because of bad asphalts that are placed on the road. So, the fight of turning to concrete is a continuous one and we will not give up until we’re assured that our roads can stay up to Thirty (30) years without maintenance.

“Under my watch no contractor will deviate from the original contract agreement or abandon the work given to them. When I am sure the contractor will not do the work as agreed, I will stop the work and review it. Today, I stopped the payment of RCC and Arab contractors until we sit back and review the cost of the contract and method of construction which is being funded by NNPC.

“I have also directed that every project must have a separate engineer and there must be a WhatsApp group platform for the six regions to monitor everything we do every week and instructions are issued. And the sites going on must be reviewed as all the directors of the six regions will spend two weeks in the region and two weeks in Abuja to ensure maximum compliance on our projects.

“On the South East roads, we want to finish the carriage way before the road architecture like walkways and others. We are also looking at why our roads stay long before delivering it and why we believe contractors so much in redesigning our roads and increasing the cost. It has to be based on technical empirical data. We are looking at it basically in the South East, South South, South West and North Central. Most of our roads should be on concrete.