The Minister of Works, Engr Nweze David Umahi has reiterated his directive that all contractors handling ongoing federal road projects should clear blockages of construction sites nationwide, especially on high traffic routes such as Abuja- Kano, Abuja-Lokoja, Ife – Ibadan to mention few.
Umahi disclosed this at a meeting with the leadership of contractors handling ongoing road projects of the government, the Directors of Works and the Federal Controllers in all the 36 States including FCT held in Abuja on Tuesday 23rd December 2025.
The Minister announced measures to ensure effectiveness in projects delivery, including measures to free the roads under construction, and plans to step up supervision to ensure that the Ministry of Works attains the required thresholds in effective project management in the coming year.
He noted that in line with the extant procedures under the contract of service, no construction site should be closed without clear permission from Works while harped on the need for motorists to abide by code of traffic and for Federal Road Safety Corps to show commitment in enforcing safety rules.
Umahi noted that the bane of effective project management and delivery is the lack of supervision, stating that in the coming year, the Ministry would step up project supervision, and every engineer would be in the field, including Zonal Directors, to ensure that contractors deliver projects in record time.
On inherited NNPC projects, the Minister revealed that fund is underway for the certificates generation while noted that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu directed that all inherited projects must continue as NNPCL would no longer be the one to pay the contractors but would be by the Ministry.
He said further that the projects would be rescoped in sections such that more capable contractors would be engaged to work on the projects and for the existing contractors to continue with the projects,
they have to exit the tripartite agreement.
Umahi added that existing contractors would have to sign an addendum with Federal Ministry of Works to continue with such projects while promised that more jobs would be given to the local contractors who must show capacity and discipline to deliver on work specifications.
In his remarks, the Minister of State for Works, Bello Muhammad Goronyo hailed the steadfastness of Federal Ministry of Works in the implementation of robust policies that would lead to quality and speedy delivery of the ongoing projects across Nigeria. 
He urged the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency ( FERMA) to rise up to the task ahead so as to justify the mandate of the agency, saying there is need for everyone to leave his, her comfort zone to embrace the duty of supervision and monitoring of road projects for prompt delivery.
Bello admonished FERMA to adopt innovative solutions in order to deliver in the mandates of the agency and satisfy the yearnings of Nigerians, noting that Nigerians are tired of excuses and as such must brace up to its duty of road maintenance.
Among attendees were the Permanent Secretary, Rafiu Adeladan, the Managing Director of Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA), Chukwuemeka Agbasi, the Presidential aide, Chioma Nweze, the South East, South South, North Central and North West, Gift Johnbull, Dr. Abiding Essiet, and Hon. Abdullahi Tanko Yakasi, respectively.
