FG reels out new policies on road infrastructure

The minister of work, Dave Umahi, has reiterated the importance of the emphasis attached to quality delivery of construction works by the administration of President Bola Tinubu.

He said that the ‘business as usual’ syndrome in road construction is no longer tenable under the Renewed Hope administration.

Umahi added that the federal government under President Tinubu is committed to outstanding quality, value for money, innovation, responsiveness, fast deliveries, and technical expertise in road infrastructure development in the country.

He stressed that it has become expedient to disabuse the minds of the contractors handling government road projects from executing the jobs in contradiction of set standards.

In a statement by his chief press secretary, Uchenna Orji, while receiving a delegation of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), led by the President, Tasiu Gidari Wudil in his office on Thursday, November 23, Umahi reeled out the new policies to guide road infrastructure in the country.

The new policies include good stabilized and tested subgrade and sub-base course before pavement placement; expose subgrade, sub-base; and base course to 60 days of vehicular movement and continuous sheep-foot rolling before pavement placement.

Others are the introduction of reinforced concrete road pavement in most road carriageways and shoulders; continuous maintenance of all roads under construction throughout the life of the project under contract; effective design of road infrastructure anchored on a detailed report of environmental site conditions and geotechnical report; and community relations in terms of keeping roads motorable under the period of the contract.

The minister however emphasised that supervision was necessary in the actualization of quality delivery of road construction whether concrete pavement or asphalt, noting that each of the two models has its own attendant conditions.

While explaining that the rate of increase in the cost of materials for construction of the two models is alarming, the minister argued that the cost of materials for asphalt is in geometric progression while the cost of materials for concrete pavement is in arithmetic progression.

He also reiterated that prudence and value for money are the watchwords of the Ministry of Works under him, and this involves getting materials at the minimum purchase price and maximum efficiency and effectiveness of the product.

Earlier, the NSE President, Wudil was quoted as informing the Minister that the courtesy call aimed to seek areas of collaboration with one of their own while describing him as a round beg in a round hole, adding, “Since after your assumption of office, we have been monitoring your progress, and I must tell you we are not surprised, what you did as Governor in Ebonyi State is amazing.

“We visited you when you were the Governor of Ebonyi State and I am going to visit your governor now. I must go because it is like a pilgrimage… In fact Your Excellency, we are proud of you.”