FG: Decades of Road Failures Caused by Poor Construction Practices

•Umahi inspects Abuja-Kaduna road, lauds Tinubu

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

Federal Minister of Works, David Umahi, yesterday attributed the persistent deterioration of major roads across Nigeria to decades of substandard construction practices.

Speaking during an inspection of the Abuja–Kaduna highway, Umahi said most federal roads built in the past 30 years were poorly executed, forcing successive governments to repeatedly spend money on repairs and reconstruction.

He faulted the methods adopted by some contractors, particularly Julius Berger, whose sections of the Abuja–Kaduna road have already developed potholes despite being recently completed.

“The method of construction is one of the problems. When Berger was doing the job, they removed the asphalt and mixed it with laterite. That’s not a good construction method. Once you replace an old compacted base with new laterite, it won’t consolidate the same way and failure becomes inevitable,” he said.

The minister explained that asphalt roads generally have a lifespan of 25 years, after which the surface layer deteriorates. He noted that every administration had worked on the same major highways, starting from Lagos–Ibadan and East–West Road to Abuja–Kano and Enugu–Port Harcourt because of poor construction techniques.

“This is why I say President Bola Tinubu is not just constructing roads; he is building roads,” Umahi said, emphasising that the Abuja–Kaduna–Kano highway would last at least 50 years under the current design.

He disclosed that section one of the project, spanned back about four kilometers towards Kogi and will be completed ahead of schedule by February 2026, two months earlier than planned.

According to him, President Bola Tinubu has already released over N120 billion for the first phase of the N252 billion project, which covers about 118 kilometres, including 86 kilometres of concrete pavement and 17 kilometres of asphalt works in Kano.

“Funding has never been this consistent. It shows the president’s commitment and love for the people, especially our northern brothers and sisters,” he stressed.

He explained that projects hitherto stopped by the NNPC funding are resuming and will be completed despite the decision by the national oil company to halt financing of the critical road infrastructure.

“And then we’re going to have CCTV cameras so that this road is entirely safe. And the contractor has requested an opportunity to work at night. We are going to support that opportunity. We are going to back them up,” he stressed .

On his part, Minister of State Works, Bello Goronyo, thanked the President for the support, as well as his interest and follow-up on the major project.

“Since we started this project, I have not had this experience with the kind of responsible person in this government who day by day and hour by hour, day and night, is following up on this project, and I am sure of all the other projects.

“Now, coming back to our commitment, which we have said several times, we are here to prove and to show, first, the quality of work, and to be committed with the time, which we know how it is important for all these states and areas and the people living in this section here,” he added.