The contractor rebuilding the Osun section of the Ibadan-Ife-Ilesa Road says it has fully complied with directives from David Umahi, the works minister. CBC Global Civil and Building Construction Nigeria Ltd. received a stop-work order after Umahi identified deficiencies during an inspection on June 21.
During his visit, Umahi ordered the contractor to halt temporarily and study pavement mixture specifications at another project site. He also instructed the company to slow its pace on the carriageway work and deploy two teams to focus immediately on the outer and inner shoulders.
The minister demanded that all failed and cracked road sections be milled. He also insisted the contractor apply a binder and warned that he wouldn't tolerate any potholes on the project.
Anjikwi Anjilibwala, project manager at CBC, told reporters at the Ikire site in Irewole Local Government Area that the company had reviewed its concrete pavement mixture. He explained the contractor carried out palliative works on the existing road and addressed other concerns the minister raised.
According to him, Umahi directed CBC to study the concrete pavement mixture used by Hi-Tech, another construction firm on a separate project. "The minister said we should go to other companies, most especially Hi-Tech," Anjilibwala said.
"So we went there to see the nature of the mixture. We have seen it and made all the adjustments we were supposed to make.
So now, everything is good to go."
The project, with a three-year completion timeline, has reached approximately 65% completion after six to seven months on site. Anjilibwala expressed confidence in the concrete pavement quality, projecting the road would serve motorists for about 50 years.
"The guarantee is that this concrete road is more durable and even cheaper," he added. "So I think this work will guarantee our people almost up to 50 years."
When asked if the contractor had resolved all issues flagged during the minister's inspection, Anjilibwala confirmed the company completed all required palliative works. He noted the road was in terrible condition when work began, with frequent accidents and poor traffic flow.
"When we came here, the existing road was critically bad. A lot of accidents were happening and vehicles could not move freely under good conditions," he explained.
"But after carrying out all the palliative work, we have laid asphalt and completed the palliative work successfully. So everyone can now see that all vehicles are moving freely and safely.
Even the accidents have reduced."
Yuan Kaizhi, area manager at CBC, said the company remains committed to ensuring safety and convenience for road users throughout the project. He noted the road is now smoother, making travel safer and more convenient for the public.
