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The Minister of Works, David Umahi, has cleared the air on a crack that appeared on the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, saying it is not a structural failure and should not cause any concern to Nigerians.
Speaking during a press briefing in Abuja on Wednesday, Umahi said he had received more than 500 messages from concerned Nigerians after a video showing the crack went viral on social media. He explained that the part where the crack was seen is still under construction and not yet completed.
According to him, the crack appeared on the shoulder of the road, not on the main carriageway. “That section has not been completed. Section 1 is 47.47 kilometres by six. You have the main carriageway, you have the shoulder. Where you noticed the crack is a section of the shoulder. We are not presently working on that part,” he said.
The minister insisted that the public should ignore the viral video and the negative narratives surrounding it. “There is no section of the completed carriageway that has cracked, and it will not crack,” he assured.
Umahi said he even ordered the construction team to seal the cracked part of the shoulder as a precaution, but maintained that the issue is not serious. “It’s not an issue at all,” he said.
The minister used the opportunity to announce that the Federal Government needs N3 trillion to complete all ongoing road projects under the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) tax credit scheme. He disclosed that NNPCL had stopped funding the projects as of August 1, creating a major funding gap.
Despite the setback, Umahi said President Bola Tinubu has directed that no road project should be abandoned. According to him, the President has instructed the Ministry of Works to find an alternative way to fund the projects and ensure their completion.
“At the last Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, Mr. President, who chaired the meeting, directed that another means of funding should be provided for these projects,” he said.
Umahi also sent a strong message to contractors, warning those without the technical and financial capacity to stay away from government contracts. He said the Ministry will no longer tolerate contractors who take on large projects without the resources to execute them properly.
“When we go into this exercise, we will not leave the fate of our people in the hands of any contractor that wants to play games. This idea of contractors believing that government will bail them out later must stop,” he warned.
In a separate development, the minister announced plans to introduce spikes under flyover bridges to protect them from overloaded trucks. He said the move is necessary to stop the destruction of beams, which are key to the safety of the structures.
According to him, a 6.5-meter gantry fitted with spikes will be installed under flyovers to prevent vehicles that are too high from damaging them. He said the idea became necessary following the recent damage and closure of the Keffi flyover.
He blamed the situation on reckless drivers and poor enforcement of traffic laws. “This same issue is happening on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway and other locations,” he noted.
Umahi said the first of such spike systems will be deployed at the Keffi flyover and may later be extended to other major roads and bridges.
