By Joy Odor Reportcircle News
Minister of Works, Engr. David Umahi, on Thursday mounted a robust defence of the Tinubu administration’s road reform programme, disclosing widespread vandalisation of federal infrastructure, terminating a ₦1.5 trillion contract renegotiation, and unveiling fresh presidential directives extending strategic corridors across the country.
Speaking at a detailed ministerial briefing, Umahi said the ministry is confronting a “daily battle” against sabotage of critical national assets, particularly along the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and major bridge corridors.
“We brought to the attention of the public the massive vandalisation of our critical infrastructure across the country,” Umahi said. “If we do not protect what we are building, repairs will continue endlessly and that is not good for our society.”
The Minister revealed that security agencies in Lagos have intensified deployments along the coastal corridor following repeated incidents of cable theft, destruction of protective installations and blockage of underground drainage systems.
“I was in Lagos two weeks ago. The governor, the Commissioner of Police and the people of Lagos have massively deployed along the coastal route to check vandalisation,” he said.
According to him, flooding along parts of the Coastal Highway was triggered after underground channels were deliberately blocked during break-ins.
In Shagamu axis works, Umahi disclosed that vandals have been cutting reinforcement components, including protective “white bags” laid along road shoulders, undermining structural integrity.
“They cut wires. They remove sections meant to protect the beauty and strength of the roads. These illegalities have consequences,” he warned.
Umahi also disclosed serious structural concerns at key bridges, including the Koton Karfe Bridge and another major bridge corridor, attributing the deterioration to illegal sand harvesting and static truck loading.
“Bridges are not designed for static loads. Parking heavy trucks on them is asking for trouble,” he said.
Investigations, stakeholder engagements and expert reviews have concluded that one of the compromised bridges will require demolition, though the ministry is seeking interim engineering solutions to extend its usability for about three years pending reconstruction.
He further cited incidents where illegal miners damaged pipelines and removed expansion joints for scrap, while vandals were recently apprehended removing “cat eyes” and electrical fittings from bridge decks.
To counter the trend, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed the installation of CCTV surveillance on federal highways. Umahi confirmed that surveillance systems deployed on the Third Mainland Bridge have already led to arrests.
Beyond vandalism, Umahi painted a sobering financial picture.
He disclosed that the ministry inherited 2,064 ongoing projects valued at approximately ₦13 trillion, with total current contract exposure rising to ₦16.9 trillion.
A major component involves projects previously funded under the Nigeria National Petroleum Company (NNPC) infrastructure tax credit scheme created through Executive Order 007.
Umahi explained that following presidential directives, NNPC will no longer directly pay contractors.
Instead, the Ministry of Works has assumed responsibility, prioritising and restructuring the portfolio.
“As at the time we reviewed the projects, it will take about ₦7 trillion to fully complete all inherited NNPC-funded projects,” he said.
Of ₦263 billion outstanding liabilities, ₦127 billion has been released by presidential directive, while documentation and scope realignments are ongoing.
“The President directed the continuation of all inherited projects. The projects are not dead. We must prioritise and fix them,” he said.
Umahi also addressed the controversy surrounding the Abuja–Kaduna–Zaria–Kano highway rehabilitation.
He disclosed that upon assumption of office, the project had already cost ₦739 billion, with approximately 240 kilometres completed out of about 350 kilometres.
Following macroeconomic shifts including subsidy removal and Naira flotation, the contractor sought a revised ₦1.5 trillion to complete remaining sections.
The ministry initially countered with ₦1.1 trillion.
After 14 months of negotiations involving the Chief of Staff to the President and the National Security Adviser, the government terminated the contract in line with due process.
“We could not afford ₦1.5 trillion. There is a procedure for contract termination, and we followed it,” Umahi said.
Subsequent reconciliation revealed disputed financial claims, with the ministry approving only a fraction of additional requests while insisting on recoveries owed to the government.
“If I am invited by the EFCC, I will testify. I studied the entire file. There is nothing about that project I cannot explain,” he declared.
Umahi defended the administration’s pivot from asphalt to reinforced concrete pavement, arguing that previous road designs rarely exceeded 10 years.
“Show me any road constructed before now that lasted 10 years,” he challenged.
Under the new policy, concrete roads are designed to last between 50 and 100 years, with 18-inch thickness and Grade 40 strength benchmarks.
He urged critics to conduct non-destructive tests on project sites before questioning quality standards.
In a major announcement, Umahi revealed that President Tinubu has approved the extension of the Bodo–Bonny Road in Rivers State by 8.7 kilometres using reinforced concrete, linking it to the East-West Road.
Work is expected to commence in March and will include two flyovers.
“For the first time since the creation of Bonny, there will be a direct road connection to the mainland,” he said.
He further outlined expansion of the Akwanga–Jos–Gombe–Maiduguri corridor, with simultaneous construction planned from multiple ends to accelerate delivery in the North-East.
Responding to criticism over Public-Private Partnership (PPP) projects allegedly drawing from pension funds, Umahi said infrastructure investment aligns with global pension fund practices.
“Pension funds are not meant to lie idle in banks.
Infrastructure investment is standard practice globally,” he said, adding that contractors must nonetheless meet quality benchmarks.
Throughout the briefing, Umahi rejected allegations of favouritism in contract awards, clarifying ownership details of contractors mentioned in public discourse and challenging critics to verify claims before publication.
“We will not succumb to blackmail. My duty is to ensure quality work and value for money,” he said.
He praised President Tinubu for sustaining inherited projects despite fiscal strain, noting improved macroeconomic indicators and expanded regional equity in project distribution.
With reinforced concrete corridors stretching from Lagos to Calabar, Abuja to Kano, and Bodo to Bonny, the Ministry of Works is simultaneously battling vandalism, renegotiating legacy contracts and managing a multi-trillion-naira infrastructure pipeline.
Umahi’s message was clear: safeguarding assets is as critical as building them.
“If we do not protect this infrastructure, we will keep repeating repairs,” he said. “This ministry is doing everything within its conscience and capacity to deliver value for money.”
As Nigeria recalibrates infrastructure financing and oversight, the success of its road revolution may depend as much on enforcement and public vigilance as on engineering innovation.
