The Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, has issued a stern warning to China Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC) Nigeria Limited over what he described as poor construction methodology on the Aba-bound section of the Enugu–Port Harcourt Expressway.
During a routine inspection tour of ongoing federal road projects in the South-East and South-South on Sunday, October 19, Umahi expressed deep dissatisfaction with the quality of work done by the contractor, saying the project was on the brink of collapse due to substandard construction practices.
The Minister directed that a 14-day notice of termination be issued to CCECC for poor performance, citing repeated warnings by the Ministry that were ignored. He also ordered that the Port Harcourt-bound section of the expressway be descoped and re-awarded to a competent indigenous contractor.
“If you get to the Port Harcourt end, which they did about two years ago, the entire road has almost totally failed,” Umahi said. “We have written to them to maintain the road, but they have refused. Therefore, I have to take responsibility and take a decision. The Port Harcourt bound is descoped; it will no longer be done by CCECC. The Ministry will identify capable local contractors who can start work immediately.”
Umahi further directed that CCECC must, within 14 days, mill out and replace the defective binder course on the section it handled or face termination. He stressed that applying binder without a wearing course violates the new construction standards introduced by the Ministry.
The Minister reiterated the Federal Government’s commitment to enforcing the new construction codes and ensuring that only durable road infrastructure is delivered under the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
While condemning CCECC’s poor handling of the 43-kilometre Aba–Port Harcourt stretch, Umahi praised the performance of Arab Contractors Nigeria Limited, which is executing the 56-kilometre Umuahia Tower–Aba Rail/Road Crossing section of the same expressway.
He commended the contractor for achieving 85 percent project completion and maintaining high construction standards.
