‘We Did Not Even Enjoy The Road For Five Years’ – Minister Queries Contractor As Flood Destroys Newly Rehabilitated Kano-Maiduguri Highway

Minister of Works, David Umahi, has expressed concern over the damage to a section of the recently rehabilitated Kano-Maiduguri highway.

Naija News reports that a severe flood heavily impacted the federal highway linking Kano to Maiduguri, particularly affecting the stretch between Malori and Guskuri villages in Bauchi State’s Katagum Local Government Area.

The intense rainfall had caused a significant portion of the road to collapse, creating a large crater and forcing motorists to seek alternative routes.

In a statement released by his media aide, Orji Uchenna Orji, Umahi labeled the damage, caused by flooding, as unfortunate, noting that newly completed roads in the country often fail to last even five years.

Umahi revealed that a technical team from the ministry had been dispatched to conduct an on-the-spot assessment and pledged to find a lasting solution to the issue.

He directed the Director of Highway Rehabilitation to work closely with the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Works to immediately deploy experts to evaluate the situation and determine the necessary steps to address the damage.

Umahi said, “I am directing the Director of Highway Rehabilitation to liaise with the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Works to immediately deploy some technical people to go and evaluate what we can do over there and it’s very unfortunate that when a job is completed by contractors, we didn’t even enjoy the road for five years, and we are back to square one.

“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 also called on Mothercart Ltd, the contractor responsible for the work, to join the assessment team and investigate why the road had split as reported. The affected area is part of Section Three of the Kano-Maiduguri road.

During a performance review meeting with Dangote Group of Companies Plc, BUA Group of Companies Plc, and Mainstream Energy Solutions Ltd, Umahi discussed the progress of road projects under the Road Infrastructure Development and Refurbishment Investment Tax Credit Scheme.

He emphasized the need to review the liability period for all federal government projects to ensure durability and value for money.

Umahi highlighted the advancements made in funding critical projects under the Tax Credit Scheme and urged contractors to expedite their efforts to complete the projects on schedule, as these roads are vital to the nation’s economic infrastructure.

He assured that there would be a clear agreement on milestone completion and timelines for the ongoing projects under the tax credit initiative.