News
Road gridlocks: FG embarrassed – Umahi *Stops yuletide holidays for contractors, gvt officials
No contractor handling road projects in the country or top official of the Federal Ministry of Works will be permitted to go on yuletide holidays, Dave Umahi, the Minister said on Monday, ordering those who had already proceeded to return back to duty immediately.
This is the outcome of what the Minister described as embarrassing situation on the Nigerian roads, where many Nigerians now witness hellish experiences due to the gridlocks being encountered in the last few days.
Umahi, who held an emergency meeting with directors and contractors of the Ministry on Tuesday in Abuja, accused some contractors of abandoning sites under the guise of holidays despite worsening road conditions across the country, maintaining that strategic highways and bridges must remain operational during the season and afterwards.
Specifically, all Directors and Federal Controllers of Works across the country, must suspend their holiday plans, and remain on site to ensure that ongoing road projects did not obstruct the free flow of traffic during the festive period, he said, adding for instance that routes like the Abuja–Lokoja Expressway, the Abuja drainage canals, and key corridors in Sokoto, Katsina, and Kebbi states must not be closed under any circumstances due to their strategic importance.
“No contractor is permitted to close a site without the approval of the Federal Ministry of Works. Some sites must not close at all. Abuja–Lokoja cannot close.
“Some corridors are simply too critical. We would like some of our contractors who may be taking holidays to understand what is going on at their sites. Don’t close the roads. Open them for vehicular movements,” Umahi said.
The minister admitted that recent disruptions on the Abuja–Lokoja highway embarrassed the government but appealed for patience, noting that emergency interventions were ongoing to restore traffic flow.
Describing the traffic gridlock on the Abuja–Lokoja Road as “very embarrassing,” the minister ordered that the road be further opened up to ease vehicular movement, particularly ahead of the Christmas season.
The minister also expressed concern over persistent congestion on the Enugu–Onitsha Road.
He stressed the need for urgent and coordinated action by contractors and supervising officials to eliminate bottlenecks and ensure smooth traffic flow on all major federal highways nationwide.
Umahi also commended contractors for embracing President Bola Tinubu’s policy shift from asphalt to concrete road technology, describing it as a difficult but necessary transition to improve durability and reduce recurrent failures.
“I commend you for agreeing to adapt to the new policy of Mr President on concrete road technology. Many of you even requested that your projects be changed from asphalt to concrete. That is not easy, but it is necessary,” he said.
He argued that asphalt roads often deteriorate within 10 to 15 years due to drainage failures and poor soil conditions, while concrete roads offer longer life spans if properly constructed.
Beyond construction methods, the minister announced a sweeping reorganisation of the Ministry of Works, revealing that directors and senior engineers would be redeployed to the field to supervise projects directly.
“Everybody is going to the field. Only the Permanent Secretary and I will remain in the office. Every director will supervise a major project and performance will be judged strictly by output,” Umahi declared.
He added that poor supervision had become one of the biggest challenges in the delivery of federal infrastructure and vowed to end what he described as “office-based engineering.”
Umahi also warned contractors handling inherited projects originally awarded under the Niger Delta Development Commission and other agencies that payment responsibilities had now shifted fully to the Ministry of Works, following a presidential directive.
“All inherited NDDC and related projects will continue, but those agencies will no longer pay you. The Ministry of Works will take over payment, and contracts will be re-scoped to what can realistically be delivered within nine months,” he said.
He cautioned that advance payments would be recovered through banks if contractors failed to mobilise to the site, stressing that financial indiscipline would no longer be tolerated.
The minister further disclosed that Tinubu had approved the payment of outstanding certified liabilities estimated at N263bn, directing the relevant agencies to work with the Federal Inland Revenue Service to fast-track disbursement.
However, he said all claims would undergo fresh verification, noting that total outstanding certificates since 2020 stood at about N2.1tn and required reconciliation to eliminate inflated or unsupported claims.
Umahi also announced plans to digitalise project monitoring, including the creation of zonal project portals where contractors would upload site updates, valuations, and certifications in real time.
He said the new system would ensure that project evaluations and certifications were completed within 48 hours, improve transparency, and reduce delays associated with manual processes.
On maintenance, the minister ordered immediate pothole repairs nationwide, warning that no road controller or engineer would be allowed to “go on holiday” while critical routes deteriorated.
“Nigerians are tired of excuses. We will no longer commission solar lights; we will commission roads and bridges that last,” he said.
Since assuming office, Tinubu has prioritised road infrastructure as part of his economic recovery agenda, directing the Ministry of Works to adopt cost-efficient technologies, complete inherited projects, and tighten contractor oversight.
President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday, announced the approval of the establishment of a Presidential Task Force on Ebola Virus Disease Preparedness and Emerging Public Health Threats and ordered the immediate release of ₦10 billion as emergency intervention funding.
Bayo Onanuga, presidential spokesman, who conveyed the development to the public, said the fund would strengthen the operational preparedness of the National Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) and support critical national public health emergency response activities.
To be chaired by Femi Gbajabiamila, Chief of Staff (CoS) to the President, the committee with membership drawn from relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) and state representatives is also expected to get briefings on their plans to contain the disease.
Onanuga, stated that Tinubu also specifically directed all states hosting international airports and international border corridors, as well as relevant MDAs, to submit their plans, funding requirements and intervention needs for consideration and coordinated implementation.
Stating that the President’s move followed a stakeholder meeting convened under the CoS to review Nigeria’s preparedness and develop strategies against the possible importation of Ebola into the country., the statement informed that the Task Force would also intensify passenger screening at all international airports through enhanced temperature checks and crowd-control protocols.
Other measures would also include enhanced monitoring of passengers arriving through high-risk airline routes, including Air Uganda, Rwanda Air, Air Tanzania, Air Angola, Kenya Airways and Ethiopian Airlines; and the immediate activation of referral and isolation centres at the Lagos and Abuja international airports, with other airports to follow.
Other measures include the mandatory activation of QR code-based pre-arrival health declaration systems for passengers originating from or transiting through designated high-risk countries, as well as the disinfection of departure halls, cargoes, baggage areas and airport facilities as precautionary environmental measures.
The President also directed the advisory group to consult with security, diplomatic and aviation bodies on regulating flights from affected and designated high-risk countries and mandated the task force to designate specific airports or terminals for high-risk flights to enable controlled screening and isolation procedures, and to consider adjusting flight schedules to minimise interaction between high-risk passengers and other travellers.
Justice Akintoye Aluko of the Federal High Court, Lagos on Tuesday ordered the remand of Paul Jibrin Oweleke in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) over alleged cybercrime offences linked to social media broadcasts that allegedly called for overthrow of President Bola Tinubu.
Specifically, Oweleke, in a two-count charge was accused of publishing posts on his online platform known as “Oweleke TV”, urging the Nigerian military to remove the President from office in a manner similar to takeovers in some West African countries, an act the agency said bordered on incitement and the use of a computer system to disseminate content considered prejudicial to national security and constitutional governance.
Oweleke’s broadcasts, the agency stressed, were capable of inciting public disorder and promoting disaffection against the government, which will undermine the country’s democracy.
Legal argument had ensued immediately after Oweleke, pleaded not guilty to the charges, with his lawyer kicking vehemently against the prayer of the agency that the court should order his remand pending the commencement of trial, on the ground that a bail application had already been filed and served on the prosecution.
But Aluko, who was persuaded to grant the prayer, went with the DSS, while adjourning the matter to June 16 for the hearing of the bail application, stating that Oweleke, would remain in the facility of the agency pending the outcome.
By June 29 all medical doctors in public hospitals in Nigeria will drop their stethoscopes and other instruments of healthcare, unless the Federal Government settles all unpaid allowances, salary arrears, delayed training funds, and worsening welfare concerns of its members across the country’s health sector.
This was the notice served to the government on Monday, through The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), the umbrella under which the doctors operate, after rising from Ordinary General Meeting (OGM) held in Kano.
In the 21-day ultimatum to the government, the doctors warned that it would not be able to guarantee industrial harmony if the issues remain unresolved within the 21-day period.
In the resolution conveying their position, signed by Mohammad Suleiman, President, Shuaibu Ibrahim, Secretary-General, and Abdulmajid Yahya Ibrahim, Publicity and Social Secretary, on Friday, the body regretted that government had failed to fulfil several commitments to doctors despite repeated assurances and engagements.
“The association hereby declares an industrial dispute with the federal government of Nigeria on the outlined matters above and cannot guarantee industrial harmony after the 21-day window period given to address all the demands,” the communique reads.
The association said it is giving the federal government the 21-day window to commence concrete actions towards the development and implementation of a national healthcare workers assault prevention and response protocol
and the initiation of the necessary legislative process to address the menace.
NARD also demanded the release and payment of the 2026 medical residency training fund (MRTF) to all eligible resident doctors nationwide within the next 21 days.
The association questioned the unpaid salary and promotion arrears in several federal and state health institutions, as well as discrepancies in professional allowances reflected in members’ May 2026 salaries.
It highlighted the welfare issues affecting house officers, including salary delays, unpaid arrears, and difficulties with internship placement and onboarding processes that remain unresolved.
It also accused Motunrayo Omidiran, executive chairman of the Federal Character Commission (FCC), of delaying the issuance of letters of compliance to federal health institutions, noting that the delay has hampered recruitment efforts, manpower shortages, and brain drain in the sector.
NARD expressed worries about the increasing assaults, harassment, intimidation, and violent attacks against doctors while on duty, demanding the arrests, investigation, and prosecution of perpetrators.
It called for the establishment of a national healthcare workers’ assault prevention and response protocol within 21 days by the federal government and security agencies.
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