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By Tracy Moses
The Project Manager, Bauhaus Global, Engr Charbel Alammar, has attributed the delay in completing the Makurdi under-pass project to severe technical challenges rather than incompetence or lack of experience on the part of the construction firm.
Speaking with journalists in Makurdi on Thursday, Alammar dismissed insinuations that Bauhaus Global was unqualified to handle the construction of the underpass at the high-level roundabout. According to him, such views typically come from individuals who are not engineers and therefore do not understand the complex technical intricacies of such a project.
He explained that the project, which is now about 87 to 88 per cent completed, faced significant hurdles due to the high water table and soft soil texture of the construction site.
“The initial contract duration was 12 months,” he said. “However, we received an extension due to additional re-scoping of the project. Now, we are entering the final month, May 2025 and we are confident that the underpass will be completed before May 29th and ready for commissioning.”
Alammar said the biggest challenges were encountered between March and November 2024, particularly due to environmental conditions.
“Unless you are an engineer, you won’t understand the difficulties we faced,” he noted. “The soft base and high water level made it impossible to expand excavation because of nearby buildings and structures on both sides. If you’re not careful and quick, water will overtake your efforts. We didn’t delay; we simply took the time necessary to ensure the foundation was strong and reliable. Doing it any other way would risk the structure failing within a year, and that is unacceptable.”
Reacting to criticism from some quarters that Bauhaus was unqualified for the job, Alammar said such views lacked merit.
“Those making these accusations are the ones lacking understanding and experience. If we didn’t know what we were doing, we wouldn’t have reached this advanced stage of the project,” he asserted.
On local involvement, Alammar stated that Bauhaus Global has consistently engaged members of the host community in the workforce, with local content now exceeding 75 per cent.
“At the beginning, local content was about 50 to 60 per cent. But now, over 75 per cent of our team comprises locals. However, based on experience, many of those we initially hired had to be replaced due to incompetence or inappropriate conduct, which I’d rather not go into detail about,” he said.
On the durability of the underpass, the project manager confidently stated that the structure is built to last.
“Our projects are designed with a minimum lifespan of 50 years. As stipulated in our contract, we also offer two years of post-completion maintenance.”
The Makurdi under-pass project has been one of the most ambitious infrastructure efforts undertaken in Benue State in recent years and is expected to significantly ease traffic congestion in the area once completed,” he added.