No Concrete Layout, No Contract – Umahi

Minister of Works, Engineer David Umahi has disclosed that there will be no contract award under his watch for any road unless it is with concrete layout.

The Minister made this disclosure during an inspection tour of Oshodi Oworoshoki – Ojota road on Tuesday 29th August, 2023 as part of his tour of some roads in Lagos and states within South West Nigeria.

The Minister who expressed satisfaction with the job done noted that it was about ninety nine percent done except for some finishing touches.

He wondered why some contractors were against the more durable and cost reduction use of Concrete Technology that is the use of cement for road construction despite its advantages over bitumen which is more expensive and less durable, a situation  he attributed to the fact that the bitumen  produced recently are of lesser quality.

The Minister noted that despite the high number of heavy trucks that ply the road it is still without defects adding that if it was an asphalt road it would have started failing and developing faults.

He challenged contractors who are aversed to the construction of concrete roads to come to Oworoshoki road to see an example of its advantage over asphalt.

At the Apongbon Bridge, the Minister lamented that some people were trading and selling chemical under it which resulted in the fire outbreak early in the year thereby causing huge damage to the bridge.

He expressed government’s determination to rehabilitate it as soon as possible and instal solar light.

While at  Iponri section of the Eko bridge the Engr. David Umahi called on the Lagos State Government to urge the people using the premises under it to clean the surrounding and make it beautiful and habitable for their use.

At the Porto-Novo Liverpool round- about bridge, the Minister directed the Director, Design and Bridges, Engineer Adesanya Awosanya to send the report on the structural defects on it and other bridges that have similar problems to his office.