Works minister David Umahi on Sunday ordered the contractor handling the Ibadan-Ife-Ilesa road to stop work temporarily and study pavement mixture specifications at another project site.

Mr Umahi gave the order to the contractor, CBC Global Civil and Building Construction, during an inspection tour of the Osun axis of road reconstruction.

The minister inspected the road project in the company of some federal lawmakers and other stakeholders.

“Go and check that mixture and then resume your work,” he stated.

Umahi also directed the contractor to slow down work on the carriageway and to form two teams to immediately work on the outer and inner shoulders.

“This is very important in two of the locations,” the minister said.

The minister noted that the section would not be used for some time, but warned that if it were not completed in time, he would withdraw the controller of works in Osun from the site.

“I have removed a number of controllers in some states, starting with my own state. I am going to create a classroom in my ministry and bring professionals into it.

“Those I am removing from sites will be learning every day. When you pass, we deploy you back to the site. I am on this road, and I have not seen where the palliative was done, but you (federal works controller) already gave a palliative certificate of N2.8 billion,” said the minister.

He gave the ministry official 24 hours to withdraw the certificate and directed CBC to “genuinely” go and do the palliative work.

“I don’t want to see any pothole, and the agreement is that you will mill all the failed sections and the cracked sections,” added the minister.

Mr Umahi also ordered that the contractor should put a binder.

“My friendship is based on the work. I don’t have a permanent friend or a permanent enemy. We have to take responsibility for what the public has asked us to do,” he said.

He also directed the controller to remove heavy trucks parked on the concrete road.

“I am giving you 24 hours to clear them and never let it happen again. The moment you have those things parked, it generates internal stress on the concrete,” the minister explained. “You will not see it immediately, but that is the failure of the concrete.

“Solar lights must be done when we are done. You can’t effectively do the solar lights on the shoulders until you have done the shoulders,” Mr Umahi said.

Umahi, however, commended the contractor for diligence and tolerance.

“We have not paid them. They are working on 108km. They have done about 70km, and they do about one kilometre per day,” said the minister.

(NAN)