The Federal Government has ordered an immediate halt to ongoing construction work on the 12-kilometre Sagamu-Iperu Road, located near the Sagamu Interchange on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
Minister of Works, Senator Dave Umahi, issued the directive on Thursday during an inspection tour of federal road projects in Lagos and Ogun States.
Umahi expressed deep dissatisfaction with both the quality and the pace of work being executed by the contractor. He criticised the poor execution of the road project and demanded urgent remedial action within seven days.
“I am giving seven days, I am leaving behind the design head so that they can work till Sunday to come up with a comprehensive drawing and then costing so that I can appeal to Mr President,” Umahi stated.
The minister ordered the contractor to immediately remove the current stone base, which he deemed unsuitable, and to replace it with the correct mixture. He further instructed the contractor to mobilise the appropriate milling machine and ensure the correct materials are used going forward.
In addition to fixing the road base, Umahi also directed the contractor to accelerate the overall speed of work.
The minister pointed out structural concerns on some bridges along the route, stating that although the contractor had constructed all the ramps and retaining walls, there were critical safety issues.
He disclosed that some of the bridge piers showed signs of deterioration with visible rust on reinforcing rods.
“That is very dangerous,” Umahi warned, highlighting the potential risks to public safety and economic loss.
“This is very urgent. If any of them should collapse, it will take multi-billion Naira to get them reconstructed, but now it will take less to get them amended,” he added.
