National Assembly suspends nationwide use of concrete in road construction

As revealed in the House of Representatives’ order paper on Thursday, the Nigerian parliament has decided to halt the use of concrete for road construction across the country. This suspension was proposed by Khadija Bukar Ibrahim, a legislator from Yobe state, in response to growing concerns about the technical limitations and constraints associated with using “rigid/cement concrete pavements.”

Ms. Ibrahim emphasized the necessity of conducting a thorough investigation into the adoption of concrete technology for road construction in Nigeria, including an evaluation of its comparative advantages and disadvantages in comparison to asphalt. This investigation may also have implications for ongoing road projects initiated before David Umahi’s appointment as minister.

In light of these concerns, the House has called on the Federal Ministry of Works to temporarily suspend the widespread use of cement concrete for road construction pending the results of the investigation.

This move may be seen as a setback for the Minister of Works, Mr. Umahi, who had strongly advocated for the use of cement in road construction and faced opposition from contractors who preferred asphalt. In September, he asserted that he had the support of President Bola Tinubu and that no amount of opposition would change this stance.

Furthermore, the House has directed its designated committees on works, environment, finance, and judiciary to examine the advantages and disadvantages of using cement concrete and asphalt for road construction and report their findings within three weeks.