I am not probing anbody – Umahi

The Minister of Works, Sen. David Umahi, has said that his activities since his assumption of office do not suggest he is probing the work done by the past administration.

Umahi said this in Calabar on Friday after the inspection of federal roads in Cross River.

He, however, said that any contractor who did not adhere to the minimum standard would be questioned and asked to go back to the site.

“The last administration did well on road construction, and I am only out to see the status of these projects.

“Nobody should be afraid of probes.

“I am only following Mr. President’s renewed Hope Agenda, and no amount of blackmail will stop this agenda,” he said.

The former Ebonyi governor, who deployed concrete technology for road construction during his tenure, said the option remained the best for the country at the moment.

He commended Gov. Bassey Otu for following suit, saying that "aside from the durability, it is also the most cost-effective when compared with bitumen.

The minister said, “The road is beautiful, and I have seen it already, and it is a good initiative of Sen. Otu.

“This is what President Bola Tinubu has been preaching; we cannot continue to do the same thing the same way and expect a different result.

“We are trying to do it differently, and we should expect a different result for our road infrastructure.

“It’s cheaper than the asphalt.

“Today, the dollar rate is almost N1,000 to the dollar, and the cost of crude oil is about 94 dollars per barrel.

“There is no contract you sign for asphalt today and say you have a contract because you will be carrying it almost every day due to the behaviour of the dollar.”

In a remark, Otu said the concrete road constructed by his administration was in line with the president’s agenda and will be replicated in many parts of the state.