The Minister of Works, Senator Dave Umahi, on Sunday warned that the Federal Government would terminate the contract for the construction of the Ikorodu–Itoki Road if the contractor fails to comply with directives aimed at speeding up the project.
Umahi issued the warning during an inspection tour of the project, which is being handled by GELD Construction Ltd., according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
Expressing dissatisfaction with the pace of work, the minister accused the contractor of focusing on perceived difficulties rather than finding practical solutions to deliver the project.
“I am very disappointed because they seem more interested in what they think is impossible than in cooperating with us to do what is possible at this point. How many years do they want to stay here?” Umahi said.
He warned that the supervising engineer could lose his job if construction does not commence immediately, stressing that it is the engineer’s duty to report any disobedience by the contractor.
“The game is over. The supervising engineer will risk his job if this work is not started. If the contractor disobeys, the engineer should report to us, and I will have the contractor arrested,” he stated.
To ease traffic congestion and accelerate progress, Umahi directed that excavation work be carried out at night.
“The road is eight metres wide. What we have directed is that excavation should be done at night, after which it will be filled with lumps and stone base mixed with cement. This will look like concrete and ensure seamless traffic flow,” he explained.
The minister added that work would now be executed section by section, starting with an initial five-kilometre stretch. He said the milled materials from the first section would be reused to construct road shoulders.
Umahi noted that in areas where constructing shoulders is not feasible, such sections would be skipped, while work would continue within the eight-metre carriageway using a 60-millimetre binder and 40-millimetre wearing course applied during night operations.