A coalition of experts under the aegis of Kwara State Association of Young and Native Indigenous Contractors (KSAYNIC) have warned road users to be cautious when plying the Tunde-Idiagbon flyover in Tanke area when finally completed.
The Association also described as unprofessional and distasteful the hurried completion of the road construction projects across the state.
In a statement signed by the Chairman of Kwara State Association of Young and Native Indigenous Contractors, Engr. Dado Kola-Babaita, on Friday, in Ilorin, the state capital, stated that the ongoing road projects initiated by the Gov. AbdulRazaq-led Kwara State government are a dangerous haven and should be avoided by motorists.
The statement reads: “We have come to the reality that the Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq in his quest to hurriedly complete and commission some of the ongoing road projects before the expiration of his tenure, has availed the contractors an avenue to carry out substandard work on the major road constructions in the state.
“The mad rush on these road projects could pose a great and unavoidable danger to road users. We, as a body of professionals, have reliably gathered that some of the road constructions that were recently constructed and rehabilitated, now have holes deep enough to keep fingerlings. The roads appear uncertified to stand the test of time.
“During our on-the-spot inspection at the ongoing Tunde-Idiagbon flyover bridge, at that time when the foundation was being laid, the pipework and some of the components were fixed, it was well managed by the contractor. Subsequently, when we revisited the construction site, we noticed that the finishing of some of the retaining works was not near to perfect.
“The honeycombs were being exposed. In a construction site like that, when the honeycombs are being exposed, you will notice the concrete wall to be weak and not smooth enough for the viability of such projects. Also, we noticed that the Artisans working on the road (iron benders and others) are not well secured.
“The safety of the Artisans working on the construction site was not so much monitored. Most of them were not on their PPE (Reflective jackets, helmets and safety boots) and the chain which could prevent them in case of any accidental fall).
“We have reliably gathered that the Kwara State Government has been in a hurry to commission the bridge after the promise to complete the project by December 2022 failed. Now, the government has intensified so much pressure on the contractors to complete the bridge.
“To us, as a professional body, whenever the client is mounting pressure on contractors in engineering works, especially bridge construction, it could cause a grave calamity. In road construction, it’s mostly stage by stage, if one stage is not done, another one can’t be initiated because the quality and assurance needed to be done in a stage would not have been completed before moving to another stage. These jumping-off stages could endanger the quality of work that is being carried out by the contractors. Without the completion of the stages, the maintenance costs would be affected in the nearest future.
“For instance, during road construction, the workers need to wet some precast concrete for at least 28 days, before they say they want to carry and mount them. On the Tunde-Idiagbon flyover, There are some areas where they need to conduct some tests to look at what they have done and if it conforms with the standard of the design code. And things like these wouldn’t be considered when pressure sets in. Every contractor will want to be in a good relationship with the client and at the same time mount pressure on other workers at work. So, the workers will not have enough time to supervise the work and will definitely rush to finish the project to meet up with the targets.
“However, motorists plying the Adeta-Pakata axis need to be extra careful on the road. The road was recently said to be dualized and rehabilitated by the present Kwara state government. It was alarming that while the Adeta-pakata road was under rehabilitation, the same was consequently being plied by motorists.
“We have gathered that shoddy jobs were carried out on the erected walkway constructed at the edge of the Adeta-Pakata rehabilitation road project. When the road was under construction, we visited the road for an on-the-spot inspection and we noticed the unprofessionalism displayed by the contractor handling the project as substandard materials were used during the construction. The drainages were too thin and not wide enough as expected.
“Another very recent road project is the construction of an uncompleted but well-publicised 2-km Airport-Egbejila road. We were shocked that the road is still uncompleted but well-publicised as completed. The road was reopened for use in less than two months of construction. Checks on the road project show that the materials used to carry out the construction were substandard.
“Today, there are formation potholes evidently on the uncompleted but well-publicised 2-km constructed Airport-Egbejila road. We are saddened to see our road constructions awarded to contractors whose prime motive were to milk the state’s meagre resource rather than make it enjoyable for Kwarans, particularly the road users.”
The professional body, therefore, promised not to rest on their oar in informing Kwarans of the condition of their newly constructed roads.
“As a concerned body of professionals, We have resolved not to rest on our oars in our effort to continue to inform Kwarans on the condition of their newly constructed and rehabilitated roads by passing across every necessary information to avoid unavoidable calamity,” the statement added.