Highway Inspection: Umahi Meets with Ogun and Oyo State Governors .....Lagos – Abuja to take four hours journey through supersonic highways –Works Minister .....You have demonstrated capacity and experience for promising immediate approval for state governments to fix Federal roads – Ogun State Governor to Umahi .....Oyo – Iseyin road to be commissioned in September – Makinde Minister of Works Engr David Nweze Umahi CON, confirmed  “Let me announce to you that Lagos proposed 4th Mainland Bridge Supersonic Highway will take four hours to drive from Lagos to Abuja , he said  "we had a presentation on it  yesterday with the consultant , and  it's going to be on Public Private Partnership (PPP)  , driving from Lagos to Abuja will take 4hrs , we are concluding on it within one or two months  and work will start’" he made this remarks  during his meeting with the Ogun State Governor, Princ  Dapo  Abiodun  in his Office in Abeokuta , the Ogun State capital.   Umahi informed  the Governor “ We have a programme called Highway Development Management Initiative ( HDMI) and  it allows states and other Private Investors to engage with the FG either to take over a fully  constructed road to toll and maintain it  in partnership with Federal Government or take a brand new road and reconstruct it and toll it, under laid down agreement, l  am very much  open to that, we also bring some roads  architecture   into this kind of arrangement; solar lights  where we can fix CCTV to monitor  our  roads and   increase visibility, this will  largely reduce insecurity  and also create service stations, we can monitor security at these service stations, we have mini clinics , toll vans at this stations just as we see outside the country.”   The Minister said “it is better to break the law and save the life of Nigerians “.  He told the Governor that any state government that wants to do PPP with Federal Government has his approval already.   “Your Excellency, I am here for you I pledge to my country and to you to align with your heartbeat with the welfare of your people, road is everything when you have good road, insecurity is reduced, economy will boom, trade will thrive, education will thrive road is one infrastructure that will touch every sector of our economy.  Mr President is very committed to fixing our road that will last 50years” Umahi said.   The Honourable Minister explained that when people are suffering, they don’t talk about who owns the road, fixing the road is what they are interested in and that was what Ogun, Lagos and Oyo State Governments were doing,” anyone that is complaining that he cannot fix Nigeria road is playing politics”.   While holding similar meeting with His Excellency the  Executive Governor of Oyo State Engr Seyi Makinde  in his office in Ibadan, the Hon. Minister of Works commended  Oyo government for working on Federal Roads “You have done quite a number of roads and you were not waiting that you must have all  approval before you do it, if we are waiting for due process of refund for working on FG roads, our people will be the ones to suffer. We are excited with Governor Seyi Makinde, we as a government have also done a number of roads” Umahi said.   His Excellency, the Governor of Ogun State Prince Dapo Abiodun, in his reaction told the Minister” I thank you for the remarks you made about how we have been very indiscriminate in working on roads weather they are Federal or State roads, when our citizens are suffering on the road, they don’t ask who owns the road.”   ‘I thank you for saying you will give approval to any State Government that wants to fix Nigerian roads, that has demonstrated your capacity and understanding” the Governor said.   During the Minister of Works meeting with the Oyo State Governor, he said “For us If a road is important to our economy we just go ahead and fix it, an example is the road between Oyo and Iseyin, the road passes through our major Agric business hub and for Agro processors in the area, they need good roads to evacuate their products".   FG asked us to follow the Federal standard in building the road which we did, the project is about 34km and shall be commissioned September 15, 2023.   Top Management Staff of the Ministry of Works and State dignitaries were present at both meetings. ...

No Concrete Layout, No Contract - Umahi Minister of Works, Engineer David Umahi has disclosed that there will be no contract award under his watch for any road unless it is with concrete layout.   The Minister made this disclosure during an inspection tour of Oshodi Oworoshoki - Ojota road on Tuesday 29th August, 2023 as part of his tour of some roads in Lagos and  states within South West  Nigeria.   The Minister who expressed satisfaction with the job done noted that it was about ninety nine percent done except for some finishing touches.   He wondered why some contractors were against the more durable and cost reduction use of Concrete Technology that is the use of cement for road construction despite its advantages over bitumen which is more expensive and less durable, a situation  he attributed to the fact that the bitumen  produced recently are of lesser quality.   The Minister noted that despite the high number of heavy trucks that ply the road it is still without defects adding that if it was an asphalt road it would have started failing and developing faults.   He challenged contractors who are aversed to the construction of concrete roads to come to Oworoshoki road to see an example of its advantage over asphalt.   At the Apongbon bridge, the Minister lamented that some people were trading and selling chemical under it which resulted in the fire outbreak early in the year thereby causing huge damage to the bridge.  He expressed government's determination to rehabilitate it as soon as possible and install solar light.   While at Iponri section of the Eko bridge the Engr. David Umahi called on the Lagos State Government to urge the people using the premises under it to clean the surrounding and make it beautiful and habitable for their use.   At the Porto-Novo Liverpool round- about bridge, the Minister directed the Director, Design and Bridges, Engineer Adesanya Awosanya to send the report on the structural defects on it and other bridges that have similar problems to his office. ...

Works Minister’s Road Inspection - Section 1 of Lagos - Ibadan Expressway Ready Soon- Engr. Umahi. Minister of Works, David Nweze Umahi is excited as he inspected the 98% completion of Section 1 of the crucial Lagos - Ibadan expressway in Lagos today.   He said " we are excited with the speed of work, the problem of interchange in Ogun State will be resolved so that we can finish with the issue of compensation".   While speaking with the contractor he said “In our subsequent work, we shall work on concrete road, and if you have any problem let us know so that we can support you".   Director South West Engr. Adedamola Kuti, earlier said " the main carriage way of section 1 Lagos Ibadan expressway will be completed in September while the Lagos in-bound is completed.   The West Region Manager of Julius Berger Thomas Christol in charge of the contraction of Section 1, said " the last kilometre shall be completed next week ".   At the construction of Eleko - Dangote Refinery concrete pavement road by Dangote Company under the Tax Credit Scheme, the service lane being proposed would be taken to Federal Executive Council for approval.   Umahi said “Solar Light should be incorporated and has to be tolled ".   He said by tolling the road and handing it over to private sector to manage, the lighting and security will be managed from the revenue from tolling alongside the maintenance of the road thereby generating revenue.   In his words “this initiative is good and will add positively to our economy, Mr. President is committed to this facility. ...