Nigeria’s Minister of Works, Dr David Umeahi, has certified the quality of construction work on Sections 3A and 3B of the coastal highway located, respectively, within Cross River and Akwa Ibom States in southern Nigeria.
Umeahi, who undertook a two-day inspection of the sections across the states, commended the contractor, HITECH Construction Company Limited, for the quality of the preliminary work done so far.
The minister further acknowledged the strategy deployed by HITECH to tackle the challenges experienced due to the soil type of section 3A in the Cross River State axis.
He said, “HITECH is a very unique partner in the development of our country, and we commend the quality of work they have done so far. I can see the use of hardcore lumps here, which is not part of the agreement.”
The minister directed officials of the ministry to work closely with HITECH on any contingencies which may arise from the peculiarities of the terrain, noting, “I do not want to construct a road that fails. It takes courage to do this work because society just wants to hear how much per kilometre. Nobody wants to understand the peculiarities of the terrain and the mechanism involved.”
He reminded Nigerians of the features of the coastal highway, saying “facilities such as relief stations, solar lighting and CCTV cameras for enhanced security with emergency response times not exceeding 10 minutes are part of this all-important project.”
Umahi commended the Nigerian President Bola Tinubu for actualising the dreams of the Cross River people, who have been agitating for alternative access roads linking other parts of Nigeria.
The minister prayed, “The God that brought President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to undertake this courageous project is still on the throne and will sustain him to complete it, setting the country on the path of greatness.”
Also, the Managing Director of HITECH Africa Construction Company, Mr Dany Aboud, informed the minister that more than 6 km of earthworks has been done and, in the process, experienced technical challenges, which necessitated the use of hardcore lumps as an additional base for the concrete.
Aboud explained, “We are experiencing challenges in the type of soil for the 6 km cleared. We decided to conduct tests in the lab. I assure you that what we are doing is necessary; even though it is not in the agreement, it is necessary.
He added that anywhere they need to deploy hardcore lumps, they do it professionally.
Lateefah Ibrahim