The Minister of Works, Sen. Dave Umahi, on Sunday directed the contractor handling the Ibadan-Ife-Ilesa Road to temporarily stop work and study pavement mixture specifications at another project site.
Umahi issued the directive to CBC Global Civil and Building Construction Ltd. during an inspection tour of the Osun axis of the road reconstruction project.
The minister inspected the road project alongside some federal lawmakers and other stakeholders.
“Go and check that mixture, then resume your work,” he instructed.
Umahi also directed the contractor to slow down work on the carriageway and form two teams to work on the outer and inner shoulders immediately.
“This is very important at two of the locations,” he emphasized.
He noted that the section would not be used for some time but warned that if it is not completed promptly, he would withdraw the controller of works in Osun from the site.
“I have removed controllers in some states, starting with my own,” he said.
“I am going to establish a classroom in my ministry and bring professionals in. Those I remove from sites will learn every day. When they pass, we will redeploy them to sites,” he explained.
He also mentioned nearly withdrawing the controller to Abuja for issuing a N2.8 billion palliative certificate without seeing where the work was done.
“I am on this road, and I have not seen where the palliative was done, yet you issued a certificate for N2.8 billion,” he said.
He gave the controller 24 hours to withdraw the certificate and directed CBC to genuinely carry out the palliative work.
“I don’t want to see any potholes. The agreement is that you will mill all failed and cracked sections,” Umahi stated.
He ordered that the contractor should also install binder.
“My friendship is based on the work. I don’t have permanent friends or enemies. We must take responsibility for what the public expects,” he added.
Umahi also instructed the controller to remove heavy trucks parked on the concrete sections of the road.
“You have 24 hours to clear them and never let it happen again. Parking heavy trucks generates internal stress on the concrete, which can lead to failure over time,” he warned.
He threatened to stop solar lighting work on the section, saying it was premature.
“Solar lights should be installed after the construction is complete. You can’t effectively install lights on shoulders until the shoulders are finished,” he explained.
Umahi commended the contractor for their diligence and patience.
“We have not paid them yet. They are working on 108 km, and they’ve completed about 70 km, averaging roughly one kilometer per day,” he noted.
