The Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, has raised concerns over the damaging practice of parking fuel tankers and other heavy-duty vehicles on newly constructed roads, warning that such actions pose a direct threat to the durability and lifespan of critical national infrastructure.

The minister made this known during an inspection of the Aleto Bridge project in Rivers State on Saturday, March 21, according to a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Media, Francis Nweze, yesterday in Abuja.

“Yesterday, I was passing through this road and the entire stretch we have completed was totally blocked—not by moving vehicles, but by fuel tankers parked on the road,” Nweze quoted the Minister as saying. He emphasised that no road infrastructure is designed to withstand prolonged static loading from heavy vehicles.

“No road project anywhere in the world is designed for static loads; they will destroy the road,” he said. With the total project cost exceeding N230 billion—N156 billion for phase one and N83 billion for phase two— the Minister stressed the need to safeguard such significant investments.

“Is that what we should fold our hands and allow to be destroyed?” he queried. Umahi expressed satisfaction with the pace and quality of work being delivered by the contractor, RCC, while also commending President Bola Tinubu, for his decisive intervention in sustaining the project.

“I want to commend RCC highly and thank Mr President for his commitment to the Niger Delta,” he said. He explained that although funding by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited ceased in August 2025, the President promptly approved an alternative funding mechanism, ensuring that work continued without interruption.

“We are not owing RCC on this project. It is a highly technical project, and I am very pleased with the quality of work,” he added.

The minister described the Aleto Bridge project as a landmark engineering effort, featuring modern concrete pavement technology, solar-powered lighting, environmental landscaping, and reinforced structural components.