Umahi orders repairs on Lafia-Makurdi road after flood disrupts Tinubu’s Benue visit
David Umahi, the minister of works, says ministry officials and engineers from China harbour operations and maintenance company should be immediately deployed to restore and find a lasting solution to persistent flooding on the Abuja-Keffi-Akwanga-Lafia-Makurdi road.
The order comes after torrential rains disrupted traffic and forced President Bola Tinubu to cancel his visit to Yelwata, Benue state.
The president was scheduled to visit the town on Wednesday to commiserate with residents after more than 100 people were killed in attack by suspected herders. However, a flood blocked the route, halting his convoy.
Umahi, who described the incident as “embarrassing,” blamed the private concessionaire in charge of the tolled road under the highway development and management initiative for failing to maintain the carriageway, despite collecting revenue.
“We have got information on the unfortunate flooding of a section of Keffi-Makurdi road, which is under HDMI, that is, a PPP with China Harbour,” the minister said.
“We know that the project has been completed, and it is tolled, but unfortunately, yesterday there was a lot of debris that covered an existing culvert, and that led to flooding.
“We apologise very profusely to Mr President and Nigerians for the embarrassment this unfortunate incident caused.
“The Keffi-Makurdi road is a public-private partnership with China Harbour under the HDMI initiative. Though completed and tolled, flooding occurred due to debris blocking the culvert.
“In the midst of the rain, we deployed our officials and the concessionaire’s personnel who evacuated the debris, allowing floodwaters to drain.
“That section of the road has now been reinstated”, he said in a statement signed by Orji Uchenna, his special adviser, on Friday.”
The minister further directed the company to investigate the cause of the flooding and implement a permanent fix to prevent future disruptions, stressing that such lapses would no longer be tolerated on federal roads maintained by private operators
Umahi also commended Tinubu’s fatherly concern and leadership over the Benue killings, describing his attempted visit as “a powerful gesture that resonated with the people”.
“We also commend Mr President very highly for his fatherly role in Benue State. His visit there has made a lot of impact in the lives of the people and everyone living in that place,” he said.
“With God on his side, Benue people shall see sustainable peace and progress.”
Tinubu, in his remarks during his visit to the state, acknowledged the disruption.
“I aborted my visit to Yelwata town because of the rain, flood and bad roads,” he said. “But we will do something for the recreation of that environment,” the president said.
