Minister laments as flood destroys newly constructed Kano-Maiduguri highway

Minister of Works, David Umahi, has lamented the destruction of a section of the newly 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 flooding as unfortunate, saying that the completed roads in the country did not last five years.

Umahi revealed that a technical team from the ministry had been dispatched for on the spot assessment, and promised to find a lasting solution to the road.

The minister reportedly said that as part of immediate measures, he had directed a technical team from the Ministry to move to the site to evaluate the damage and report back so the Ministry can procure an emergency solution to alleviate the inconveniences faced by road users, especially the people of Malori-Guskuri community in Katsina Local Government Area of Bauchi State.

The Minister directed the Director of Highway Rehabilitation to liaise with the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Works to immediately deploy some technical people to evaluate what can be done.

He lamented that it was very unfortunate that when a job was completed by contractors, the people don’t even enjoy the road for five years.

READ ALSO:NEMA reveals 8 LGAs in Yobe at risk of flood

Umahi noted, “That’s why I’ve been saying that this issue of a one-year liability period is not desirable because every badly executed job can last one year, but it can not last five years.

“So we are still going to request the contractor that did the job, Mothercart Ltd, to join that team and find out why the road had to cut into two as reported to us today, and that is section three of Kano-Maiduguri road.”

The Minister further disclosed that plans were underway to review the liability period for all federal government projects to ensure durability and value for money.

“So my position as the Minister of Works is that everybody must take responsibility. We will no longer fold our hands and allow the projects we have awarded and even reviewed to continue to linger. Nigerians are suffering on these roads, and President Ahmed Bola Tinubu is doing everything possible, giving the road sector special attention.

He called for more commitment from all funding partners, the ministry, and the contractors and asked 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 Works, and myself, we all must sit up and play our part to support the divine vision of Mr. President to retake our country.”

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