Sunday Ehigiator
The Federal Ministry of Works and MTN Nigeria have agreed on a May 10, 2026, deadline for the completion of the Enugu-Onitsha dual-carriageway project, funded by MTN under the Tax Credit Scheme. This is just as the Minister of Works, David Umahi, called on cement manufacturers to reduce the price of cement to N7,000.
In a statement, the Special Adviser on Media to the Honourable Minister of Works, Orji Uchenna Orji, quoted Umahi as emphasising the need for quality and speedy delivery of the project.
Umahi noted that the Ministry has the responsibility to ensure that contractors comply with project specifications, and warned that MTN would be held responsible if the road fails after construction due to poor workmanship.
According to him, “We have to put the records straight that this ministry has the responsibility to ensure quality delivery of work by contractors. The contractor in this case is MTN.
“We went through what MTN was doing. We discovered that they were using peeled sand to do the job. I’m an engineer. I’m not a history graduate.”
“I’m a fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, and I’ve spent all my life in the field. And we gave a directive, which is in line with the general conditions of the contract, that should stop using such sand but go back, and use river sand, which we paid for.”
The minister emphasised the need for RCC Nig Ltd to play by the rule in project variation. He decried as unacceptable a situation where RCC could do a job of N38 billion and demand for a VOP N14 billion and said that going forward such indulgence by contractors in the name of inflation would not be tolerated.
He used the medium to call on the manufacturers of cement, which is a key element in the construction industry, especially on the use of Continuously Reinforced Concrete Pavement, to please reduce the cost of cement to N7,000 as the price of the dollar has drastically reduced, the cost of petrol is coming down and efforts are being made by Mr President to fix the road.
“I’m happy that the policies of Mr. President are working. Today, a dollar is about N1,400. And let me use the opportunity to express dissatisfaction with the cost of cement. Our contractors have called and complained that they wanted to move back to asphalt. We are using this medium to tell the cement manufacturers that at the time, the dollar was almost N2,000, they increased cement from N7,500.
“Why should today that the President has brought the dollar to stability to about N1,400, and is still going down, why should cement be selling for N9,500? We are requesting cement manufacturers to bring down the cost of cement to N7,000. If after one week they don’t do that, I have to complain officially to Mr. President.”
The meeting was attended by the Honourable Minister of State for Works, Rt. Hon. Mohammad Bello Goronyo Esq, and the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Works, Engr. O.O Adebiyi, representatives of MTN, and the Managing Director of RCC Company Nig Ltd.
In their separate remarks, the Honourable Minister of State for Works, Goronyo and the Permanent Secretary Federal Ministry of Works, Adebiyi, extolled the stance of the Federal Ministry of Works on the policies that would not only fast-track job execution but also guarantee value for money and quality project outcome.
They urged the contractor to cooperate with the new paradigm under the Renewed Hope administration and work towards delivering the Enugu-Onitsha dual-carriageway in a record time so that Mr President could commission it for public use.
“The representative of MTN in his vote of thanks expressed the readiness of MTN in working towards realising the delivery of the project within the agreed timeline,” the statement concluded.
