The Newly appointed Minister of Works,
Senator David Umahi has said that he would not want any Federal Government owned project to run beyond two years so its funding could be captured in the first 2 years of budgeting.
Umahi announced the development on Tuesday, August 22, 2023, at his first meeting with stakeholders in the works and construction industry in Abuja.
He said the President was aware of Nigerians’ plight adding, “it’s like a woman that is in pain while giving birth, once she sees the child all the pains will be forgotten, Asiwaju is giving birth to a new Nigeria so he will experience labor pains.
“So Nigerians should understand that Mr, president here is the blessings of God so anybody that didn’t know now should begin to know.
“All we need to do is to change our ways of index. If we are making 100 percent profit in a project that will last 20 years why don’t you make a smaller percentage in a project that should last for 50 years and less maintenance,” he stressed.
According to him, modern technology and innovation used in the Western world should also be deployed into Nigeria’s roads, adding that the country needed the modern technology being used in China, Dubai, and other developed countries.
He said, “How do we bring solar light, especially in various areas where there is no sun? So that we can have light on our roads.
“Mr. President has directed that we must bring confidence to our people in the use of our roads, 95% of kidnappings occur along our highways road, we must begin to think how to bring back our people to confidently use the roads.
“He has told me that we have to bring back Nigerians on the road so that mining can thrive, transportation of petroleum products can thrive, agricultural produce and commerce can thrive.”
He however stated that, “we cannot have all the projects going on at the same time. If we have 100km of road, let us face it.
“For me, no project should run beyond two years so we can make adequate funding of the phase in the first 2 years of our budgeting.”
The Minister further promised to deliver concrete roads across the country saying that it gets stronger than the asphalt ones in the event of flooding, also, they were more durable.
He, therefore, urged contractors to bring their quotations for concrete roads.
The Minister also inspected the ongoing work on the Abuja-Lokoja express road in company of the Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello.
