No Completed Part of Lagos-Calabar Road Is Damaged - Umahi

 

OLORUNDARE ENIMOLA, Lagos 

Senator David Umahi, the Minister of Works has said none of the completed part of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal road is damaged as claimed by some people, affirming that with the rate at which the construction work is going, it will be completed ahead of the 36 months completion schedule.

He expressed confidence that if the contractor can sustain working at the goal of completing one kilometre daily despite the massive sand filling they grappled with on swampy areas of the first and second sections, it will certainly complete the construction ahead of time.

The Minister made the assertion during inspection of the second section of the road at Kilometre 77, Ibeju Lekki, saying that the commitment of the contractor handling the road has gone beyond just providing service to becoming a developmental partner to the Nation.

Addressing contrary opinions by some members of the public, Umahi said, "The allusion by some people that some of the completed portions of the Lagos-Calabar road are damaged is not true; what they fail to understand is that we have to carry out massive sand filling with stone base on some swampy portions of the road in the first two sections and have to wait 40 days for it to firm up before laying concrete to link up the rest of the road.

"This is the reason I have taken you through the route to see that there is no damage to any part of the completed sections. Nigerians need to see the extent of work being carried out before we cover it with concrete and pavement so they will understand what has happened." He said.

He stressed that in some places they have over 20 feet of filling, while some have over 26 feet of filling, saying it is important for the public to know this and to know the extent of what they are doing to get the road constructed.

Speaking further, Umahi said the first two sections of the road is undergoing finishing touches, while section 3 is ongoing from Calabar to Akwa-Ibom and section 4 has being awarded to cover Ogun to Ondo States, while appreciating the technical capabilities of Hitech Construction Company Limited.

Addressing the media, Engr. Olukorede Keisha said, "We almost got to

the end of Section 2, Lagos end of the Coastal road and we saw that the contractor is faring well, diligently working on the task with clinical perfection."

On his part, Mr. Danny Abbod, the Managing Director of Hitech Construction, said, "from day one, we are very committed to deliver this project ahead of time with the international standard obtainable anywhere in the world.