By ANGELA ATABO

The Federal Ministry of Works has expressed dissatisfaction with the level of mobilization by the contractor handling the Lambata?Lapai?Bida Road project, urging faster action.

Minister of Works, David Umahi, while inspecting the road on Saturday, emphasized the need for urgency in the rehabilitation against the backdrop of the tanker explosion that claimed many lives on October 21st around Essa village in Niger State.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the 124.8-kilometre road project, awarded in 2018, experienced some setbacks but was taken over by the President Bola Tinubu?s administration and divided into phases one and two for completion.

Phase one of the project, covering 92 kilometres from Lambata to Agai, is valued at N39 billion.

It was initially designed to last for 24 months but was extended by another 24 months due to delays.

Phase two, which covers the most critical section from Agaie to Bida, is yet to be awarded.

Umahi, represented by Mr. Salihu Ahmed, Director, Highways, North-Central, directed the immediate mobilization of additional equipment and personnel to fasten the pace of the project.

He said this was necessary to speed up rehabilitation as well as do some palliative work on the Lambata?Lapai?Bida Road, for easy passage.

The Minister, expressing his displeasure, said, ?The level of mobilization is not enough. You cannot explain what you are doing here.

?Do some palliative on the road so that motorists would not have any form of gridlock on the road again. So, it is better you mobilize very well and bring more machines to the site.?

Umahi said the ministry would re-scope the project to determine the extent of work required on the uncompleted section and ensure rapid progress.

?The contractor needs to mobilize more equipment to the site and let us have free movement of vehicles. Failure to do so, in the next one or two weeks, we will see action,? he added.

The project manager of CGC Nigeria, Fan Bo, assured that the company would mobilize more equipment within days to intensify work and ease movement on the route.

?Please, do not worry. We promise to bring more machines and mobilize fully in the next few days,? he said.

Also speaking, Deputy Director of Construction at the Niger State Ministry of Works and Infrastructure Development, Nasir Ahmed, commended the minister?s directive, aimed at ensuring free vehicular movement and reducing accidents along the busy corridor.

?This is a follow-up to the Niger State governor?s efforts. The minister wants serious action so that there will be no more gridlocks or accidents on this road,? he said.

Ahmed urged motorists, especially truck drivers, to ply the road patiently and cooperate with the contractors during the construction period.

?Their impatience causes a lot of the nuisances we see. They should be patient and follow instructions so that work can progress smoothly,? he advised.

Meanwhile, on the minister?s directive, the delegation paid a condolence visit to the District Head of Essa in Katcha Local Government Area, Muhammad Daud, over a recent tanker explosion that claimed several lives along the route.

The district head appreciated the visit but expressed concern over recurring accidents.

He urged road safety officials to clamp down on individuals who hang or sleep on moving heavy-duty vehicles, describing the practice as dangerous and unacceptable.

?The area has a lot of wealth but the road is in a terrible state, and to add to that, a lot of trucks disobey traffic rules with people overloading on them, risking their lives and causing accidents.

?If the road is repaired, the incidences would reduce, and I also call on the Federal Road Safety officials to step up and help us address some of these issues,? he said. (NAN)

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