The Federal Government has ordered a temporary suspension of reconstruction work on the Ibadan Ilesa Ife Road over concerns about construction quality and the approval of a N2.8 billion palliative certificate for sections of the project.
The Minister of Works, Senator Dave Umahi, gave the directive on Sunday during an inspection of the Osun State section of the project being handled by CBC Global Civil and Building Construction Nigeria Ltd.
Umahi instructed the contractor to halt operations and proceed to another project site to review and study the pavement mixture specification before continuing work.
“Go and check that mixture and then resume your work,” he told the contractor during the inspection.
He also directed that work on the carriageway be slowed down, while two separate teams should be created to focus on the inner and outer shoulders of the road, which he said were critical to the durability of the project.
The minister expressed concern over the issuance of a N2.8 billion palliative certificate, saying there was no visible evidence of the work claimed to have been executed.
“I am on these roads and I have not seen where the palliative was done, but you already gave a palliative certificate of N2.8 billion,” he said.
Following this, Umahi ordered the Controller of Works in Osun State to withdraw the certificate within 24 hours and ensure proper palliative works were carried out.
He warned that failure to deliver within the stipulated timeframe could lead to the removal of the supervising Controller of Works, noting that similar actions had been taken in other states.
Umahi also directed that heavy-duty trucks be removed from newly constructed concrete sections of the road within 24 hours, warning that such parking could compromise the structural integrity of the pavement.
“The moment you have those things parked, it generates internal stress on the concrete. You will not see it immediately, but that is the failure of the concrete,” he said.
He further cautioned contractors handling solar streetlight installations along the corridor to suspend work until shoulder construction is completed, stressing proper sequencing of engineering works.
Despite the concerns raised, the minister commended the contractor for sustained work progress, noting that the company had continued despite outstanding payments.
“They are working on 108 kilometres. They have done about 70 kilometres, and they do about one kilometre per day,” he said.
Umahi added that government performance monitoring would determine future working relationships with contractors handling federal projects across the country.
