DISCOUNTENANCE THE BASELESS  RUMOUR THAT THE 3RD MAINLAND BRIDGE IS JERKY AND DEFECTIVE AS A DECEPTIVE  PROPAGANDA FROM THE FIFTH COLUMNISTS The attention of the Honourable Minister of Works, His Excellency Sen. Engr. Nweze David Umahi CON has been drawn to a widely  circulated  but baselessly and maliciously orchestrated   rumour that the 3rd Mainland  bridge  is shaky and defective. The rumour,  for all intents and purposes, is nothing but an untactful falsehood by the fifth columnists whose mission is to undermine  the confidence and solidarity reposed  on the works  sector  of the Renewed Hope administration  by Nigerians. The Honourable Minister of Works had upon getting wind of this needless rumour and, for the benefit of the doubt, deployed a team of engineers led by the Federal Controller of Works in charge of Lagos State, Engr. Olukorede Kesha to inspect the entire length and width of the bridge  measuring 11 kilometers  with a view to ascertaining if by the whiskers  anything went amiss with the 3rd Mainland bridge. The report is the same; that the bridge  is hale and hearty, and its integrity is undoubtedly intact Members  of the public are therefore  enjoined  to disregard  the false rumours making  the rounds on the state of the 3rd Mainland bridge. The Renewed Hope administration of the President of Nigeria, His Excellency Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, has demonstrated  unprecedented commitment  to the revampment of the inherited road infrastructural deficiencies. The 3rd Mainland bridge, including other iconic bridges in Lagos, has received priority intervention by Mr. President knowing  their vitality to the road communications and transportation ecosystem in Lagos and beyond. That is why the superstructure, the substructure, and other underwater elements  of the 3rd Mainland bridge are receiving profound  repairs by the Renewed Hope administration. The Federal Ministry of Works is up to task and speed  in changing  the narratives in the road infrastructure development in Nigeria. The code is quality, speed, and value for money, and you can be sure that the roads done by the Renewed Hope administration can stand the test of time. God bless the Federal Republic  of Nigeria.   ...

Project Inspection: Minister Chides Contractor In continuation of his inspection of projects in the South-South geopolitical zone, the Minister of Works, Engr. Nweze David Umahi, CON, FNSE, FNATE visited ongoing works on the Dualisation of East-West Road, Section II-II (Ahoada-Kaiama) and the Construction of Multiple Box Culverts at Flood Affected Areas on East-West Road, Section II-II (Ahoada-Kaiama) in Rivers and Bayelsa States, yesterday, Wednesday, 8th January, 2025. Engr. Umahi disclosed that he was highly impressed with the quality of work on Section II-II (Ahoada-Kaiama) by Messrs Setraco (Nig.) Ltd. but directed them to speed up the process through the addition of more resources to the job. He reminded them that the April, 2025 delivery date remains sacrosanct. He directed that due to the nature of the soil in the areas affected by floods, where box culverts are being constructed, continuously reinforced concrete pavement  (CRCP) should be used. The affected area is about 2.3 kilometres. The Project Manager of Setraco, Engr. Isaa Michel, while appreciating the Minister for the site inspection and the savory, as well as unsavoury comments, promised to hasten the pace of work, to meet the dateline. The Minister was also at the site of the Construction of Multiple Box Culverts on the East-West Road being handled by Messrs Rock Result (Nig.) Ltd., where he praised the standard of work but frowned at the level of work achieved. He expressed his disappointment with the pace, stating that the contract was scheduled for finishing by November, 2024 but was extended to December and is still uncompleted. He, therefore, gave the contractor up till the end of January, 2025 to complete it or it stands revoked. Engr. Umahi informed the contractor that the provision of roads and bridges remains a top priority of the Renewed Hope Infrastructure Revolution of the administration of His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR. He advised them to up their games or be left at the bus stop   ...

Umahi Inspects Sections of East-West Road, Enugu - Port Harcourt Expressway and Bodo - Bonny Road  - Sets Clear Expectations for Contractors, Urges Swift Action to Meet Infrastructure Deadlines The Minister of Works, Engr. Nweze David Umahi, CON, FNSE, FNATE, while expressing satisfaction with the quality of work on the East-West Road, Section III (Eleme Junction - Onne Junction), has directed the Contractor, Messrs Reynolds Construction Company (RCC) to deploy more resources to hasten the pace of work or face re-scoping and re-award of the contract. The Minister gave the warning yesterday, Wednesday, 8th January, 2025, while inspecting the progress of work on the project. He reminded the contractor that he has up to the end of April, 2025 to deliver a section of the carriageway. Engr. Umahi, began the inspection of ongoing road projects in the South East and South South geopolitical zones on Tuesday, 7th January, 2024 with the Enugu - Port Harcourt Expressway, Section III (Umuahia - Aba). He applauded the contractor, Messrs Arab Contractors (Nig.) Ltd. on the quality of work but instructed them to deploy in two more sites to speed up the construction and, most importantly, meet the set dateline. The Minister was also on Section IV (Aba - Port Harcourt) of the same alignment being handled by Messrs China Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC). He expressed displeasure over the slow pace of work, noting that they have only been able to access N7, 000,000,000:00K (Seven Billion Naira) out of the N21,000,000,000:00k (Twenty -One Billion Naira) provided for the project, last year. Consequently, he instructed the Federal Controller of Works (FCW), Rivers State to issue a warning to the contractor, promising to terminate it, if there are no improvements in the tempo of work.  The tour of duty also took the Minister to the Bodo-Bonny Road, where he, again, voiced discontent with the level of work achieved. He prodded the Contractor, Messrs Julius Berger (Nig.) Plc (JBN) to upscale their deployment of men, materials and machines, despite working throughout the Yuletide holidays. The project, a critical component of the South-South zone’s infrastructure development, is a 2-lane road with hard shoulders, 17 bridges spanning 3,200 meters and reinforced concrete pavement on Bonny Island.  At all construction sites visited, Engr. Umahi stressed the urgency to meet deadlines, emphasising that all Federal contractors must intensify their efforts to ensure the timely realisation of projects, in line with the Federal Government’s resolve to enhance infrastructure and transportation as enablers of growth, succinctly captured in the Renewed Hope Agenda. The essence is to improve connectivity, as well as stimulate socio-economic growth, he further explained. The Minister issued clear directives to Federal Controllers of Works to present at least four (4) completed projects, each, for commissioning from February to 20th May, this year. "The expectation is that every Controller delivers on his mandates, according to specifications and time allotted. There is no room for further delays," he declared. In light of the delay in the delivery of some projects, the Minister cautioned that the Ministry is poised to take decisive action. "The Ministry will not tolerate delays. Any contractor, who does not meet his contractual obligations, will face consequences, cumulating into a 14-day Notice of Termination of Contract," he added, emphasizing that such actions would apply to all underperforming contracts. Despite the challenges, he reassured Nigerians that His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR remains fully committed to the completion of inherited projects, as well as the four (4) Legacy Projects he initiated. “The President has not abandoned these projects. It is the contractors, who have delayed the work. This year, we will be stricter in ensuring that projects are completed on course,” he assured. Engr. Umahi guaranteed that the Ministry will continue to closely monitor all ongoing projects, ensuring that they align with President Tinubu’s vision for accelerated national growth and development. He concluded by calling for greater teamwork from all stakeholders in the management and delivery of road and bridge projects. "We all need to work together - government, contractors and the general public towards ensuring that deadlines are met. No contractor should collect government funds and fail to deliver on their promises. Henceforth, we will be more observant and take necessary actions towards ensuring the successful completion of these projects," he reasserted.   ...