Supervise federal road contracts, minister tells Nigerians

The Minister of Works, David Umahi, has appealed to Nigerians to supervise palliative road contracts which will be carried out across the country. The minister, in a statement, said work would soon commence on spoilt sections of federal roads in the country following the approval of N300bn for the ministry in the 2023 supplementary budget. […]

The Minister of Works, David Umahi, has appealed to Nigerians to supervise palliative road contracts which will be carried out across the country.

The minister, in a statement, said work would soon commence on spoilt sections of federal roads in the country following the approval of N300bn for the ministry in the 2023 supplementary budget.

While urging Nigerians to monitor and report roads done shabbily, Umahi said the ministry would recognise citizens who made accurate reports if investigation showed that contractors engaged in shoddy jobs.

Umahi said the fund would see N100bn spent on immediate palliative works in the 36 states and the FCT and N200bn for continuation of inherited ongoing projects and very few new but critical road projects.

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He further said, “Mr President has directed that work in those palliative projects must commence before 1st December 2023, while observing all due processes. On the sections being frequently complained of by the public in all regions of the North and South of the country, Mr President has equally isolated them and directed immediate actions on them, and indeed work has started on all such roads. The public can crosscheck our claims and report back to us.

“The public is hereby requested to assist the Federal Ministry of Works and FERMA by supervising the contractors that will be engaged in these palliative works, and indeed all ongoing projects of the Federal Ministry of Works and FERMA. It is the right of every Nigerian to have value for their money deployed to the road infrastructure sector and therefore must show both interest and passion in all the ongoing projects, and indeed all projects of the federal, state and local governments.”

He advised that all poorly constructed roads should be photographed and reported immediately to the following contacts: 08030986263, 08037086137 or 08106423197; showing the name of the contractor, the location and the type of contract and defects observed.