Senate Summons Contractors Over Uncompleted Apo-Karshi Road Project

The Senate Committee on the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has summoned contractors handling the Karshi-Ara and extension of the Karshi-Apo Road in the FCT, over failure to complete the project at the agreed time of 20 months as specified in the contract in 2011.

The chairman of the committee, Smart Adeyemi, who led other members and ministers of the FCT on an oversight function, said it was a shame for an indigenous construction company to betray the trust of the FCT administration and the National Assembly.

The Apo-Karshi Road project was awarded to M/S Kakatar’ CE. Big Limited in 2011, with a completion period of 20 months.

Adeyemi said the company had acknowledged the full funding of the project by the current FCT administration, and there was no reason for the firm to give excuses instead of delivering the work as scheduled.

The committee regretted that a contract that was awarded in 2011 has not been completed for several years, which he described as a failure.

According to him, Apo-Karshi Road always appears in the FCT budget and was giving the Senate headache, which must be looked into. He insisted that the contractor should appear before the Senate for an explanation next week Thursday.

“If I submit the budget before the floor of the National Assembly my colleagues will take me up on it, they will be asking questions, and I do not want to be confused. You should be ashamed of yourself and the company, the fund has been provided for the work, why give excuse again?

“I remember when this job started and I had cause to come here in either 2013 or 2014, you gave us the same promise when an indigenous company betray the trust, and you justify why local firms should not be patronised.”

“If I were the minister I will revoke this job, and ask them to refund the government. If you cannot do the job why should you accept it? There is no reason again to continue with the company,” he said.

The chief site engineer, Ezekiel Panam who spoke on behalf of the managing director, said the delay in the project was due to the increase in the price of items, and that the project was awarded in 2011 when the prices of materials were not high.