The Federal Authorities has ordered the fast suspension of reconstruction works on the Eleme-Onne part of the East-West Highway in Rivers State.
The Minister of Public Works, David Umahi, made this recognized on Sunday whereas talking with journalists in Port Harcourt.
Umahi stated the order turned needed because of the usage of substandard supplies by the contractor executing the undertaking.
The minister additionally expressed unhappiness over the sluggish tempo of labor even after the federal government paid an advance of N33 billion to make sure that no sharp practices could be tolerated.
Umahi defined that work ought to be stopped as soon as some irregularities associated to the undertaking had been resolved. He stated that given the tempo of contractors' work, the work couldn’t be accomplished even when it took 5 years.
In accordance with him, “The undertaking should profit the folks; In two months the wet season will start and the folks will undergo.
“You might have our N33 billion. Are you aware what the month-to-month curiosity on the account is? The President needed to order me to return right here in September and ordered the fee as a result of some folks from Rivers State went to see the President and we’ve got paid you N33 billion from then till now.
“I noticed that the sand they use will not be river sharp. What we paid for is river-sharp sand.
“I'm not happy. The concept is that if you put the lumps, the lump is nice. However if you put the sharp sand of the river, some voids are created between the lumps. And so the sand will begin to fill it and it turns into a compact monolithic paving construction. Once I noticed that sand, I used to be not comfortable.
“And I took that sand and put it on my palm and poured water and I squeezed it, and on the finish of the day there was nothing left. That confirmed that it is rather clear. So I ordered that the corporate ought to be written and that they need to make sure that they take away the sand.
“I used to be very shocked that as a substitute of eradicating the sand, they continued with the sand. The contractor carries out the job, however at a snail's tempo. If we give him one other 5 years, he gained't end. That's why we gained't let him in.”
The minister, nevertheless, stated he had scheduled a gathering with the contractor to look into the discrepancies, after which the errors could be x-rayed and a brand new timeline given to make sure the undertaking was accomplished.
