Works Minister Lauds Julius Berger on Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano Road Project

 
Bennett Oghifo 

The Minister of Works, Engr. David Umahi has lauded Julius Berger Nigeria Plc for its prompt remobilisation to its Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano Road, AKR project site and working assiduously to assuage the trauma of commuters and related users of the ever-busy highway.

Umahi spoke weekend in Kaduna and Kano during intermittent media interaction when he paid a working visit to the 375km-long road Saturday even as he declared that the months of friction and misunderstanding between his ministry and Julius Berger are over.

Umahi said President Bola Tinubu sent him to address the lingering slow-down on the critical project, the minister says the AKR project should be ready for commissioning May 29, 2025, and should be completed before then. To ensure compliance, Umahi said the AKR project has been split among three contractors with Julius Berger ceding some kilometres of the road to Dangote-Hitech Construction Company Limited and BUA Group.
He said, Mr president directed that we should come back to the root today and then we should hand over the three sections to the three contractors, to complete, and our target is from June to get the job completed, about May 29th 2025. The minister added that, the first section is about 38 kilometres which were earlier on handed over to Dangote-Hitech on tax credit, and are going to do it on concrete, but we are looking at the project, that they were certain issues that were captured before like the shoulders, and we also have 2 kilometres at Chainage Zero of the road going to Lokoja, and we directed that it should be included. So, the ministry of works is going to rework that scope of Dangote-Hitech to include that 2km and include the concreting of the shoulders beyond the 2.75 mandatory shoulder.

At Km 139 + 520, the Minister said it was part of Julius Berger’s stretch of the highway thus: We are now at the section of Julius Berger and it’s the last section for Berger. They have the remaining 82 kilometres by 2 and that is in the Kaduna axis, and they also have about 6 kilometres at the Chainage 11 which they have to do. However we agreed with Berger that for them to complete this job by May next year, they must come up in four sections and right now they are working in one section. Let me commend Julius Berger very highly for a very good job, quality job, and a lot of what they are doing; we are very happy with the area that has been completed. However we do not want work on this road, Abuja to Kano to last beyond May 29th 2025, so we are going to be discussing with Julius Berger; and let me commit that all your outstanding certificates we will be able to pay you within one week, so if you have any certificate that is due or new one, we will be able to pay you.

Stating that the planned meeting with Julius Berger will discuss, how many kilometres of work the company can complete out of the 82km by 2 which is 164 kilometres before May 29th, 2025. He added that if Berger cannot finish, we would also have to take it over to Dangote under tax credit and for the first concrete pavement. The Minister there and then directed the Director in charge of Highways at the Ministry to coordinate the meeting promptly scheduled for Tuesday, adding, I know you’ve complained about the rate especially on network and some concrete work, we are ready to review the rate so that you will be happy to work freely.

Umahi, who was not done, continued, so again we thank Julius Berger for a good quality job; thank you for the commitment, thank you for believing in Mr. President by remobilising even without being paid. But I assure you that Mr. President has given us some money to pay you and we are willing to pay you immediately. No more fight between Julius Berger and the Ministry of Works; we must work together. The fight was not unhealthy, its healthy. Julius Berger wanted a price that they will be able to work with and not to lose; and the Ministry of Works also argued that they can’t pay considering the economic situation we find ourselves in the country. So, it’s a give and take and it’s a marriage of partnership and relationships and so there were bound to be some friction. But I think the friction is over now. Julius Berger is working at Bodo-Bonny; Julius Berger is also working at Odukpani; and wherever they are not working, we are willing to sit down with them and see what we can do.
Seizing the opportunity to launch the Ministry’s Operation Free Our Roads, the Minister said its sole objective is to immediately do some palliative works on the road to mitigate accidents and related incidents at failed portions of the road.

Umahi continued: While on this route, we noticed some sections which we are going to be asking them, both Julius Berger and Dangote-Hitech to immediately handle. We have Chainage 38 and 39, and it needs immediate attention in terms of palliatives; we have Chainage 42.8, it needs palliative, we have Chainage 52 too. You know it’s a diversion, and a stone base should be used immediately on it.  We have Chainage 68.5, and it has to be repaired immediately, we have Chainage 70, and we have Chainage 86, which is a diversion and it needs to be filled with a stone base, among others.