From Uche Uche, Damaturu
Yobe state Ministry of Works and Transport has procured road construction equipment worth N235 million to increase and improve its engagement in road construction through direct labour.
The equipment procured are; one asphalt thresher machine, a new 2017 model at the cost of 145 million and one concrete mixer that costs N90 million.
Speaking when the state governor inspected the equipment at the premises of the ministry along Gashua road in Damaturu the state capital, the state Commissioner for Works and Transport, Honourable Lawan Shettima Ali, said the asphalt machine is one of the latest model, constructed this year 2017 and different from the one produced last year.
“This machine, with has a large operating wings of up to 7.5 meters, has the ability to lay asphalt at a go with a unique feature of track under carriage that it moves on the track unlike the conventional ones that have motor tires. The track enables the machine to have a level ground such that ensures smooth laying of asphalt,” said the commissioner.
He said because the machine is digital, the ministry would engage its literate engineers to operate it and has equally invited trainers from the company where the machine was procured, who have been training the personnel of the ministry.
Speaking after inspecting the two machines, the governor, Alh. Ibrahim Gaidam commended the ministry saying the machines are highly qualitative and that the government has gotten value for the resources injected to procure this equipment.
“It is my believe that the operational engineers of the ministry can maintain it on a very regular basis so that they would stay longer and be durable to enable us to be executing projects directly since we have the manpower,” Gaidam said.
He pointed out that the ministry was prudent in the purchase adding that if the contract for the purchase were given to a contractor outside the ministry, they would have doubled the price of machines and thus commended the ministry for its wisdom.
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