The federal government has directed contractors handling road projects in Niger State to accelerate construction and remedial works to improve connectivity, mobility and economic activity.
The Minister of State for Works, Bello Goronyo, gave the directive on Thursday during an inspection of the Bida-Lapai-Lambata and Maje-Dikko road corridors in the state.
Goronyo directed the contractors to step up remedial, palliative and permanent works, while assuring that the Federal Government would continue to monitor the two corridors.
He said the contractors must sustain the pace of work until affected sections were made safely and effectively motorable.
The inspection formed part of the Federal Ministry of Works’ monitoring of critical road projects across the country, particularly inherited projects requiring intervention to improve road safety and traffic movement.
In a statement on Friday by the minister’s Special Assistant on Media, Abdullahi Mohammed, Goronyo expressed concern over the pace of work on the 71.9-kilometre Maje-Jazu Section II project being handled by CCECC Nigeria Limited.
He disclosed that more than N10 billion had been released to the contractor as mobilisation from the project’s estimated value of about N90 billion.
Goronyo, however, said physical progress on the project stood at about one per cent.
The minister reiterated the government’s commitment to sustaining interventions on inherited road projects and expanding infrastructure delivery across the country.
‘The amount so far released to you as mobilisation is over ?10 billion. Yet, the progress of work on site is not commensurate with the amount that has been advanced to you.
‘The percentage of work completed is not even up to one per cent, whereas, according to the project schedule, you are expected to have achieved almost 16 percent at this stage. Honestly, we are not satisfied with the progress of work,’ Goronyo said.
He said the project, which involves the construction of about 11 culverts and 11 bridges, required urgent acceleration, noting that almost six months of its 36-month completion period had elapsed without appreciable progress.
‘The Minister is not satisfied with what you are doing, and that is also the position of all of us here. We are not satisfied with the progress recorded so far. Nigerians deserve better roads. Mr. President has already provided the necessary support and mobilisation for this project, and you have no excuse whatsoever not to deliver,’ he said.
The contractor attributed the slow pace partly to prolonged traffic congestion caused by articulated vehicles between June and August, saying the blockage had hindered the movement of equipment and materials.
It, however, said it had deployed additional machinery, manpower and technical personnel following the clearance of the traffic and committed to accelerating construction.
The contractor said it expected to complete about nine to 10 kilometres of the road by March next year, but Goronyo said that would not constitute sufficient progress given the overall length of the project.
‘You have told us that the gridlock caused by articulated vehicles between June and August affected your operations. But this contract was awarded in February. What were you doing from February to June? That explanation is not acceptable,’ he said.
Goronyo subsequently directed the contractor to deploy additional machines, equipment, materials and manpower, insisting that the project be delivered within the stipulated timeframe.
Meanwhile, the Director of Construction and Rehabilitation, David Yiltong Dechi, said the contractor handling permanent rehabilitation and reconstruction of the Lambata-Lapai corridor had indicated its readiness to mobilise.
He recommended immediate palliative measures, including the deployment of boulders, stone-base materials, graders and bulldozers at critical locations to maintain motorability during the rainy season until conditions became favourable for full-scale permanent works.
Speaking on the approximately 123.4-kilometre Bida-Lapai-Lambata corridor, Goronyo said the project was inherited by the present administration and was being executed under the Presidential/NNPC Tax Credit financing arrangement.
He said the heavy movement of articulated vehicles along the corridor informed the use of continuously reinforced concrete pavement in the project to enhance durability and service life.
Goronyo, who sympathised with motorists over the prolonged delays and difficult travelling conditions, said the government would combine immediate palliative intervention with permanent reconstruction.
‘We deeply sympathise with the drivers and other road users. This is a very important economic corridor, and we cannot allow it to fail completely. We are going to push the contractor to mobilise early and undertake palliative works to provide relief to motorists while we await the full reconstruction of the road,’ he said.
The Minister stressed that the administration had inherited several road projects but had continued to address them rather than abandon ongoing works, describing road infrastructure as critical to economic growth, trade, mobility and national development.
At the Maje-Dikko section, Goronyo expressed satisfaction with improvements recorded after the ministry issued a 48-hour directive to restore passability but directed the contractor to increase its mobilisation and sustain round-the-clock operations at critical sections.
‘The progress of the work so far is impressive, and we are satisfied with what you have been doing over the last few days. But you need to double your efforts, mobilise more materials and equipment, and concentrate on the difficult sections. Nigerians deserve better roads, and we have no excuse,’ he said.
The Managing Director of Trunkroad Consortium Nigeria Limited, Isaac Abeka, said the contractor had responded to the directive by deploying additional personnel, materials and equipment, resulting in a significant easing of the gridlock.
He said failed sections had been backfilled with stones, rocks and boulders, followed by the application and grading of stone-base materials, while drainage channels were opened to improve water flow away from the road.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Transportation, Prince Adetokunbo Ademola, described the road as an inherited project and said efforts were underway to provide both immediate palliative relief and long-term reconstruction.