Minister of Works, David Umahi, has mandated the redesign of the Onitsha bypass for the 2nd Niger Bridge due to flaws and overestimation in the initial design, thus dumping the initial design to save the nation N300bn
This is as the minister directed contractors working on federal road projects in the Southeast and South-South regions to accelerate work while ensuring compliance with contract specifications.
In a statement by his media adviser, Uchenna Orji, the minister discovered the defective design of the 2nd Niger bridge bypass on Sunday, March 24, while on an inspection visit to the rehabilitation of Enugu- Port Harcourt dual carriageway section IV (Aba-Port Harcourt) undertaken by China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation Ltd (CCECC).
The minister was accompanied on the project tour by the Deputy Chief Whip of the 10th Senate, Onyekachi Nwaebonyi, and leaders from various political backgrounds in the southeast, including former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) and former Senate president, Pius Anyim, as well as former national publicity secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Olisa Metuh, where they commended President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to rebuilding the country and his foresight in appointing a professional to oversee the Works Ministry.
Reaffirming the Renewed Hope administration’s dedication under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to safeguard Nigeria’s future and ensure its continuous stride towards economic growth, Umahi emphasized the non-negotiable commitment to constructing enduring road infrastructure with the most efficient design at minimal expense.
Umahi attributed his work ethic were some of the ideals in the Renewed Hope mantra under his Ministry including design and cost-effectiveness, speed and standard of job delivery as well as innovations that would guarantee zero maintenance and durability of road infrastructure in Nigeria, said, “And just only two days back, with these leaders, we went to Asaba to look at the design of the bypass of the second Niger bridge, and we went to Onitsha.
“By that singular movement, we saw that the design was defective and we agreed on a new kind of design. That was how we saved the country over N300b by that singular movement to that location”.
While giving a marching order to CCECC on its section of the road, Umahi said the contractors should always consider the sufferings of the road users as they set up their work plans, while urging them to ensure that the roads they are working on are made passable for commuters during the rainy season.
“We will not accept anything less than two to three sections working. And I’ve given seven days for this particular lane, that is, the upper bound lane to be totally repaired, to ameliorate the sufferings of the commuters.
“I feel for them very highly. When you go through this road, you now need to take a number of painkillers. It’s not desirable. So I’m begging CCECC, the controller, and engineers to do everything possible in the next seven days and create a smooth sail on this right-hand side”, added.
The Minister who also visited the Upgrading of the 15km section of the East-West road section III: (Port Harcourt – Eleme Junction to Onne Junction in Rivers State) handled by RCC, the rehabilitation of Enugu- Port Harcourt Expressway Section 3, Enugu- Lokpanta handled by CGC and the rehabilitation work at the collapsed bridge site at the New Artisan Bridge near NNPC mega fillings station Enugu Capital City, Enugu State, was quoted as expressing satisfaction with the job done but charged contractors to step up their pace to cover a milestone ahead of the rainy season.
Of the project along Eleme refinery road, the Minister was quoted as saying, “We are upgrading the 15km road between Eleme flyovers to Onne junction. We are starting with excavation to fill all the failed sections to make them stable. And when we get to where stable, we build up the boulders. After boulders, we put up sharp sand, and after the sharp sand, we compact.
“After the compaction, we put the first layer of stone base, 20cm first layer that will build up against another 10cm of stone base, we compact. After compacting, we leave it out for the traffic. So that it gets maximum compaction.
“After that, we put 10 cm with 5% cement to stabilize it and make it very strong. That will make the road very stable and it will last for a long time.”
The minister, however, commended the President for creating the conducive environment necessary for him to effectively carry out the tasks assigned to him, saying, “I want to thank Mr. President, so much. He has done a lot in our road infrastructure.
“He’s a man who wants all the roads to be completed as soon as possible. But let me assure him that I’m doing the best that I can with the fear of God and with commitment to his Renewed Hope agenda, which we all embraced.”
The stakeholders from the southeast, who joined the Minister on the inspection tour, also expressed gratitude to President Tinubu for his decisive and confidence-inspiring measures aimed at revitalizing the country’s economy, with competent aides appointed to support him in this endeavour.
While the Southeast leaders urged Nigerians to maintain their confidence in President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope administration, Sen. Nwaebonyi, who is also the Deputy Chairman of Public Accounts and member of the Works Committee of the 10th Senate said: “This is what we were lacking before, like he said here, he is not an office Minister.
“He moves from site to site to ensure that the jobs are done according to specification. That is what we want in this country, and I want to commend Mr. President for finding him worthy.
“This is the very first time an expert is leading this ministry, and I want to assure Nigerians that very soon, they will see the difference in all our projects.”
On his part, former SGF, Sen. Anyim, said: “I want to remind you that the day the Honourable Minister took an oath of office, he had a reception and I chaired it and I reassured Nigerians that he would exceed their expectations.
“I think this trip is a follow-up to that assurance to satisfy myself that he’s actually exceeding expectations. And I can tell you that it’s amazing. His passion, his expertise impact the design, the quality, the speed, the durability, and, impacts the style of project implementation.
“And for the two days we’ve been on the road, it’s been like never before. And I want to say that I am proud that he is exceeding expectations. And I want to say that I have been vindicated that the President did not make any mistakes.
“Again, I want to reemphasize, like my brother, there is a case of a square peg in a square hole. Thank you, Mr. President.”
The former national publicity secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Olisa Metuh said: “I want to state clearly, publicly what I have seen in the past two days. In the last two days, I have witnessed things that I never knew were possible on the issue of road construction in Nigeria, especially on these roads. I’ve gone with the Honorable Minister. I have seen, I’ve been satisfied. I feel that it is a question of a round peg in a round hole.
“Our request, Mr. President, is that the hope is real, and as long as the Minister is in charge, he’s being supported, he’s being funded, Mr. President is going to write his name in gold in the annals of our history for generations to come.
“This will be a reference point about what he has done on our roads in the entire country. It’s a legacy project for Nigerians. I want to state that the most important thing is not only the quality of the roads that we have seen but the fact that it’s being done with the lowest amount of money.
“What the Honourable Minister is saving the country, saving from the budget, saving the nation on the instruction of Mr. President is unquantifiable. This is democracy in action. Mr. President, thank you so much. We thank Mr. President and we thank you, Mr. Honourable Minister.”
