By LYDIA CHIGOZIE-NGWAKWE

The Minister of Works, Sen. Dave Umahi on Sunday directed the contractor handling the Ibadan-Ife-Ilesa Road to stop work temporarily and study pavement mixture specifications at another project site.

Umahi gave the directive to the contractor, CBC Global Civil and Building Construction Nig. Ltd., during an inspection tour of the Osun axis of road reconstruction.

The Minister inspected the road project in company of some federal lawmakers and other stakeholders.

“Go and check that mixture and then resume your work,” he directed.

Umahi also directed the contractor to slow down work on the carriageway and form two teams to do the outer shoulder and the inner shoulder immediately.

“This is very important in two of the locations,” he said.

The Minister noted that the section would not be used for some time, but warned that if it would not be completed in time, he would withdraw the controller of works in Osun from the site.

"I have removed a number of controllers in some states, starting with my own state.

"I am going to make a classroom in my ministry and I am going to bring professionals into the classroom.

“Those I am removing from sites are going to be learning everyday. When you pass, we deploy you back to site,” he said.

He said that he almost withdrew the controller to Abuja for giving CBC a palliative certificate of N2.8 billion.

“I am on this road and I have not seen where the palliative was done but you already gave a palliative certificate of N2.8, billion.”

He gave the controller 24 hours to withdraw the certificate and directed CBC to ‘genuinely’ go and do the palliative work.

“I don’t want to see any pothole, and the agreement is that you will mill all the failed sections and the cracked sections.”

Umahi also ordered that the contractor should put binder.

“My friendship is based on the work. I don’t have a permanent friend or a permanent enemy.

“We have to take responsibilities for what the public has asked us to do,” he said.

He also directed the controller to remove heavy trucks parked on concrete on the road.

"I am giving you 24 hours to clear them and never let it happen again.

“The moment you have those things parked, it generates internal stress on the concrete.

“You will not see it immediately, but that is the failure of the concrete.”

He threatened to chase out those working on solar lights on the section, saying that it was premature.

"Solar lights must be done when we are done. You can’t effectively do the solar lights on the shoulders until you have done the shoulders,” he said.

Umahi, however, commended the contractor for diligence and tolerance.

“We have not paid them. They are working on 108km. They have done about 70km, and they do about one kilometer per day,” he noted. (NAN)

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