Plans by the Minister of Works, David Umahi, to use concrete technology for the construction of Nigerian roads have been opposed by the Ebonyi State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Umahi recently instructed contractors handling federal road projects across the country to halt the use of asphalt and instead adopt concrete technology and direct labor.
As a former governor of Ebonyi State, Umahi claimed to have used concrete technology for road construction.
In response to the minister’s directive, the Publicity Secretary of the PDP in Ebonyi, Comrade Chika Nwoba, called on President Bola Tinubu and contractors handling various road projects to refrain from using concrete technology and direct labor for road construction.
In a statement released in Abakaliki, the PDP denounced the proposed use of concrete technology in the construction of federal highways in the country.
The party also disputed Umahi’s claim that the concrete roads he built in Ebonyi State would last for 50 years.
PDP’s Publicity Secretary, Nwoba, alleged that Umahi’s direct labor approach to road construction in Ebonyi was merely a means of personal enrichment.
Nwoba stated, “There is no doubt that David Umahi possesses a certain level of expertise in construction engineering, but there are certain qualities missing in the way he administers any office he holds.”
“We are from Ebonyi State and have witnessed firsthand how he managed the works sector as the state governor for eight years.
“It would require the intervention of the National Assembly or the President himself to dissuade him (Umahi) from applying direct labor and concrete pavement technology to all the construction projects his ministry intends to undertake.”
End.