The Minister of Works, David Umahi, has said the federal government plans to complete 5,550-kilometre road projects in 2024.
He said the government will construct at least 150km of roads each in 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
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The minister stated this during a meeting with contractors at the Ministry of Works in Abuja, where he also said that the use of asphalt for road construction is not banned.
The target excludes palliative work and other special projects embarked upon by the federal government.
The 5,550-kilometre road network target, according to the minister, is the minimum for the year.
“Can we have about 150km of road completed in 2024 in each state? What does that mean? If we have five contractors working together in the same state, then 150km divided by five is 30 km, so it’s achievable,” he said.
He said the ministry would no longer allow contractors to close the site for one month to observe any festivities.
“Some of you closed the site on December 15 and reopened it on January 15. We’ll no longer allow contractors to close the site for a whole month in 2024,” he said.
Speaking on plans to clear the N1.5 trillion project debts, he said the federal government has set up a verification committee to verify contractor certificates and recommend payments.
“I want to assure you that every verification made will be paid; we are going to have an automated payment system. You are requested to come up with proof of how these debts are incurred,” he said.
He warned that only registered and certified COREN members are allowed to be on site.
He said the federal government has divided the road projects into 12 zones.
The minister also revealed that the president has directed a review of FERMA to make it effective.
He charged controllers to do everything possible to clear highways, adding that the federal government is working to introduce solar lights and others to make highways safe and reintroduce night travel.
Umahi barred contractors from carrying out earth work without deploying necessary equipment on site.
He explained that asphalt material was not banned but that the government is only trying to cut down on its geometric pricing.
“We have not banned the use of asphalt, but it is to moderate the escalation of prices on asphalt. And in 2024 going forward, some projects will still be on asphalt, the shoulders that are on concrete, and some will be fully on concrete. There are some places that we must make our roads fully concrete,” he said.
The minister disclosed that the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) has approved 80 percent of the palliative allocation.