Minister laments floods that damaged newly built Kano-Maiduguri highway

Minister of Public Works, David Umahi, lamented the damage to parts of the recently rehabilitated Kano-Maiduguri highway.

The minister in a statement issued on Saturday by his media aide, Orji Uchenna Orji, Umahi described the incident caused by the flood as very unfortunate, saying that completed roads in the country do not last for five years.

Umahi revealed that a technical team from the ministry had been sent to conduct an on-site assessment, and promised to find a long-term solution to the road.

The Minister reportedly said that as part of his immediate actions, he had directed a technical team from the Ministry to proceed to the scene to assess the damage and report back so that the Ministry can come up with an emergency solution to alleviate the inconvenience faced by road users, especially the Malori-Guskuri community in Katsina Local Government Area of ​​Bauchi State.

The Minister ordered the Director of Highway Rehabilitation to coordinate with the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Public Works to immediately deploy a number of technical personnel to evaluate what can be done.

He regretted that it was very unfortunate that when a job was completed by a contractor, the community did not enjoy the road for five years.

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Umahi noted, “That is why I said that this issue of a one-year accountability period is undesirable, because any poorly executed work can last for one year, but it cannot last for five years.

“So we will still ask the contractor working on the project, Mothercart Ltd, to join the team and find out why the road has to be cut into two parts as reported to us today, which is the third part of the Kano-Maiduguri road.”

The Minister further revealed that plans are underway to review the liability period for all federal government projects to ensure sustainability and value for money.

“So my position as Minister of Public Works is that everybody must be held accountable. We will no longer sit back and allow projects that we have awarded and even reviewed to be delayed. Nigerians are suffering on these roads, and President Ahmed Bola Tinubu has done everything possible, by paying special attention to the roads sector.

He called for greater commitment from all funding partners, ministries and contractors and for patience from Nigerians.

“So we call for patience, partnership and patriotism. The President means well for this nation. We must play our part, and this is very important. To our contractors, every staff member of the Ministry of Public Works, and myself, we must all rise up and play our part to support the divine vision of the President to reclaim our country.”

Minister laments floods that destroyed newly constructed Kano-Maiduguri highway first appeared on Latest Nigeria News | Headlines from Ripples Nigeria.