Umahi Knocks Contractor, Laments Poor Quality Of Work On Abuja-Lokoja Road

By Akinwale Kasali

Newly sworn-in Minister of Works, David Umahi, has expressed dissatisfaction with the quality of work done on the Abuja-Lokoja Road.

The former Ebonyi State Governor, during a meeting with contractors in Abuja on Wednesday, decried the quality of work done at the sites he inspected, including the Abuja-Lokoja Road and Lokoja-Benin Road.

He has, also, threatened to withdraw the job certificate of contractors that left any site in any part of the country.

Umahi said, “I have inspected about eight projects on the Abuja-Lokoja roads and was disappointed with what I saw. How can you collect money to do something and you didn’t do it right? Do you people fear God at all? We must do work for the people instead of ours.

“This last time there was a flood overflow here, they stayed over one week. You know, from my assessment, suppose there is a medical emergency, food supply, petroleum supply, and I think it was causing a food shortage in Abuja.

“So, we should have been able to design this and then use a ramp to raise it in the first place. Believing that tomorrow we will do it. And so, the contractor will not work on this section of the road apart from the bridge that way.

Again, Umahi reiterated the mandate of the President to deliver on the road infrastructure in Nigeria. Therefore, he said, no sacred cow will be pursuing the project to make Nigerian roads motorable.

He stressed further that all contractors should embrace concrete pavement for the construction of Nigerian roads as he argued that the technology offers the roads durability.