Minister Directs FERMA To Submit List Of Defaulting Contractors

The federal government has directed the management of Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) to submit a list of defaulting contractors to the Ministry of Works next week.

Minister of State for Works, Mohammed Bello Goronyo Esq, who issued the directive also, charged the Managing Director/CEO of FERMA to warn contractors who fail to deliver on their contract awards to desist.

A statement by the Director of Information, Ministry of Works, Mohammed Ahmed, said the Minister gave the directive on Monday during his familiarisation tour of the South-West FERMA offices.

He said the era of abandoning projects was over, stating that the contracts were awarded and paid through the tax payers’ money, who desire value for their money.

“The list of defaulting contractors must be made available to the headquarters not later than next week,” he said.

The Minister proposed the establishment of “a strong Technical Committee” that will criss-cross the country to monitor FERMA projects with a view to ascertaining the quality of their deliveries.

He commended FERMA offices in South-West States, assuring them that all issues raised will be looked into to make FERMA great and successful.

He added that though the challenges were real, huge and enormous, they were, however, not insurmountable. “The country must tighten up its belt and combat the challenges frontally. We have been drawing from a well without water for so long. We now have a President who is willing to face the challenges head-on without complaining. We must be ready to support one another and do things differently. We must all support His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to deliver on his mandate,” he remarked.

He pledged to pay unscheduled visits to project sites to have a first-hand knowledge of the commitment of contractors to projects, while also assuring that staff welfare was a paramount issue of concern which will not be toyed with.