…calls on indigenous companies to emulate.

by Ashie Osor

The Minister of Works, Engr David Umahi, has described as fantastic, the standard of job being handled by an indigenous contractor, Sermatech Nigeria Limited, especially in keeping to the specifications.

Umahi disclosed this recently, during a tour of roads within Niger Delta and South-South region of the country, as directed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

The Minister had stopped at Sermatech’s 28.6km road dualization project site, spanning from the power plant section in Odukpani Cross River, to Oku Iboku in Akwaibom and consisting of four bridges.

“This work is fantastic and it is handled by an indigenous contractor and I am very proud of what he is doing.

“I want more indigenous contractors to come up and they can come and learn from Sermatech.

“I heard, I visited, I have stopped and I have seen, so I am very proud of what you are doing, keeping to the reinforcement details,” the Works Minister said.

He further assured that he will ask the authorities concerned to release the outstanding funds owed the construction giant, as soon as possible.

Umahi who did not leave the project site without some tutorials said: “wherever you have a bridge, you have to keep the two lanes and before the bridge, you stick to double dualization.

“What I mean is building a new dualization, 500 metres before and 500 metres after, when you finish that you go back to the alignment and divide the line into two, we will benefit a lot.

“Expose the earthworks, no controller should allow any contractor to put any soft base without exposing the soft base to 30 days vehicular movement and after that you put your soft base and you allow vehicles to pass for 30 days, that is 60 days.

“You must test for compaction at the soft base level and at the base course level, it will help everybody so that all these blame games will stop,” Works Minister advised.

Umahi who was the immediate past governor of Ebonyi State, informed that the new consolidation method plus the concrete is known as, the renewed hope reinforced concrete agenda.

He further directed, “if you start your reinforcement, your reinforced concrete, we want you to put Mr. President’s picture alone and the parameters of the project.

“This is his idea, the concrete road is the idea of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, I am just here to reinforce it on those who want it and those who don’t want it, so that our hope will be renewed,” he stressed.