Darkness: FCTA Threatens To Blacklist Contractors Handling Streetlights

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) through the Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC) has expressed disappointment at contractors handling streetlight projects in the nation’s capital city over their failure to keep to the terms of the contract.

FCTA, therefore, said it will not renew any contractual relationship with any defaulting company.

The coordinator of AMMC, Chief Felix Obuah, who gave the warning in Abuja while briefing journalists on the issues affecting Abuja’s streetlights and the continued darkness in almost all the districts of the capital city, also vowed that the FCTA will never to pay any contractor for causing perpetual darkness in Abuja.

Obuah lamented that FCT Administration considered some companies, gave them contracts for the maintenance and security of the streetlights, but abandoned the terms of the contract.

The AMMC coordinator, who expressed concern over the non-functional streetlights in Abuja, said that the Administration will never consider defaulting companies for any job, especially those who have contributed to the pervading darkness on Abuja’s streets, due to incompetence.

According to him, he had taken a tour of most of the districts and observed an alarming situation where the streetlights were not functioning and some of the infrastructures have been vandalised.

“I am not impressed with the way you have handled the maintenance and security aspects of these contracts. I am aware that this contract is for maintenance and security of streetlights.

“But I have personally moved round your areas of operation and I can say that the city is dark, that is to say that the request for your payment has been processed and done, yet your work is not being done perfectly as agreed.

“Why must we continue to patronise and pay you when the job is not being done? This is unacceptable. Why must we complain about security and vandalisation? It is your duty to provide the security to guard the facilities. If the bulbs are dead, it is your duty to replace them,” Obuah told the contractors.

He stressed that from what they were seeing presently, the Administration do not think any of the contractor was living up to the agreement they entered into with AMMC.

“That is why I have called you to let us know what are the problems. If there are areas we feel we can come in, we will. But if we continue like this, I can tell you we do not care.

“We will blacklist the contractor, and if you have even applied, we will make sure that you do not get it. Then we will get a contractor who can do the job because we can see that this I-don’t-care attitude some contractors have taken is not safe.

“I am not interested in pulling anybody down, I am more interested in the job to be done. I want to assure that those of you who are ready to partner with us, we will make sure that we do not stop supporting and work as a team,” he added.