Minister of Works David Umahi said on Thursday in Abakaliki that President Bola Tinubu’s administration would complete inherited projects across the country despite funding challenges.

Mr Umahi, while declaring open the 29th meeting of the National Council on Works, said the administration was determined to solve the perennial road infrastructure challenge nationwide.

The minister said the administration inherited federal roads in poor conditions, which made it difficult for people to move freely.

“We have segmented the roads state by state, zone by zone, paying more attention to roads on economic routes and those that are 80 per cent completed,” he said.

Mr Umahi said that despite the achievements made by the present administration on the road sector, there were still factors militating against realising the set targets on federal roads.

“The high cost of projects is a huge factor and this makes people query the cost of constructing state and federal roads.

“Most of the state roads have 7.3 carriageways with 1.5 shoulders on the surface dressing.

“I wish to announce that we have abolished surface dressing as a policy in the ministry because it is a serious cause of failures on our roads,” he said.

He further said that water will start permeating through the surface dressing within one or two months of completing such roads.

“Asphalt is not good with water, and once it gets to the road’s sub-base, the asphalt weakens it, and the carriage pavement will fail.

“We have also abolished variation Of prices (VOP) and seek the enactment of a law to reserve a percentage of a contact’s sum for the project’s maintenance,” he said.

Governor Francis Nwifuru of Ebonyi thanked the council for convening the meeting in the state, assuring it of the best hospitality by the government and its people.

Stanley Mbam, the state Commissioner for Works, said improved road infrastructure was cardinal in the people’s charter of needs mantra of the administration.

(NAN)