The Federal Government under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is committed to outstanding quality, value for money, innovation, responsiveness, fast deliveries, and technical expertise in road infrastructure development in Nigeria.
This was contained in the message of the Minister of Works, Sen. David Umahi, when the national leadership of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), led by its President, Engr. Tasiu Sa’ad Gidari Wudil paid him a visit to his office in Abuja.
According to a statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the Minister of Works, Orji Uchenna Orji, the minister emphasized the importance attached to quality delivery of construction works by the Renewed Hope administration of Mr President stressing that the ‘business as usual’ syndrome in road construction is no longer tenable under the Renewed Hope administration of Mr President. He reeled out the new policies on road infrastructure to include:
“good stabilized and tested subgrade, sub-base course before pavement placement; expose subgrade, sub-base, and base course to 60 days vehicular movement and continuous sheep-foot rolling before pavement placement.
“Introduction of reinforced concrete road pavement in most roads, 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; community relations in terms of keeping roads motorable under the period of the contract”.
The minister said 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.
“When you start to compare asphalt and concrete, it is if all things are equal, here all things are not equal, there are many factors why we are talking about concrete”.
He noted that the stand of the Ministry is not about comparing asphalt and concrete pavement but that if you are using either of them, there are conditions attached to them.
He said certain terrains on our roads make it imperative for concrete pavement to be used. “You cannot put asphalt in water but you can put concrete in water”.
The Minister explained that the rate of increase in the cost of materials for construction of the two models is alarming and 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 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.
