Minister for Works, Engr Dave Umahi, has assured Nigerians that all roads being constructed by the administration of President Ahmed Bola Tinubu would last for 100 years. He stated that road construction before his administration was no longer business as usual. Umahi further announced that the era of so much use of Asphalts have gone as according to him, most roads are being constructed with concrete for a long lasting duration.
The Minister, who was in Awka, to inspect the progress of work on the Awka – Enugu express road, noted that most of the roads would be completed on record time. The said road project is being constructed by the Reynolds Construction Company (RCC) and funded by the tax being paid by the MTN communication firm.
“First of all, I am very impressed with the work being done by RCC, who are using resources concrete to do about 23kilometres of road, the first 20.kilometres have been completed. We just have 13 kilometres all on concrete that would last to the next 100 years and then, we have the MTN project, which is a total of 104 kilometres.”
“And they have subcontractor which Niger Cat and Niger Cat is doing a good job and RCC is doing a good job. “We have seen that within the next two weeks what would be left with Niger Cat will be zero on their own section already and what would be left of RCC would be 23 kilometres ”
“Now, I am giving a different directive to RCC and I meant my Engineers to listen and I want the controllers to listen. “You see, the design of the project is first binder, second binder, and wearing and if you do the primmer everything is 94,000 per square meters and I can do my concrete which will last the next 100 years, which is about that is about 92,000 per square metre.
Why should I do Asphalt instead of concrete and nobody guarantees Asphalt for more than 15 years in this country on any of our roads but we do concrete on our roads under President Ahmed Bola Tinubu and we guarantee it to last for next 100 years.”
“So, my directive now, effective from today, is that the 23 kilometres of RCC / MTN Cash Credit Project should be executed as such with inner shoulder and outer shoulder and build it up with laterite and build it up to the existing level of the Asphalt.”
