Nigeria’s Minister Of Works Bans Use Of Laterite As Foundation In Road Construction

The Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, has announced a ban on the use of laterite as foundation in road construction.

He ordered that from now on, contractors must use soil, sand and sharp rocks as a base before pouring concrete or asphalt.

The Minister gave this directive when he set up a committee to oversee the reconstruction of the four-lane Benin – Warri road and the bifurcation of the East – West road, which connects Port Harcourt – Onne Port in River State.

This was contained in a statement signed on Friday by the Director (Information), Press and Public Relations of the Ministry, Lere-Adams Blessing, in Abuja.

According to her, Umahi noted that laterite has limited bearing capacity and is susceptible to erosion and weathering, especially in areas with heavy rainfall, which can lead to deterioration of the road surface over time, making it difficult to maintain. persistent and does not last long.

“We are paying close attention to the roads between Benin and Warri,” she quoted Miniater as saying.

For the road between Eleme and Onne Port, we paid attention to the site conditions of these roads, water conditions and drilling rather than potholes on these roads.

“There is no more laterite, contractors now have to use lumps of soil, sand and sharp rocks instead of laterite.”

The Minister also directed the newly established road working group to conduct continuous maintenance of all under-construction roads until the end of the project.

He asked them to ensure that the contractors are fully informed about the developments and remember that the Ministry must follow the respective orders issued by the President.

Repairing roads in Nigeria so that people can move easily from one place to another. “The commission must implement a contract agreement that puts maintenance culture at its core,” Umahi said.

Committee members must closely monitor contractors to ensure everything is done properly. “Our entrepreneurs can now understand that we do not insist that things need to change for no reason, but that society demands sustainability and integrity in the work they do.”

Umahi disclosed that road infrastructure is one of the key factors in revolutionizing our trade, education, security and power in this country and Mr. President pledged to improve the infrastructure.

The minister also asked the committee to ensure daily monitoring and adequate records of what the contractors are doing and that they must ensure compliance with new construction methods, including maintenance, as this is a part of the project and anything that goes against this will attract appropriate sanctions.