Federal Gov’t Orders 3 Contractors To Hand Off Obajana-Benin Road Projects

The Federal Government has terminated the Obajana-Benin Road contracts with three companies, citing non-performance by the contractors.

The government ended contract numbers 6136, 6137 and 6138 with Mothercat Ltd, Dantata & Sawoe Construction Ltd, and RCC Ltd, respectively.

In a statement on Monday, the Federal Ministry of Works said the projects affected by the termination order were the dualisation of Obajana-Benin Road, section II (Okene-Auchi) in Kogi/Edo States; the dualisation of Obajana-Benin Road, section III (Auchi-Ehor) in Edo State and the dualisation of Obajana-Benin Road, section IV (Ehor-Benin) also in Edo State.

The Minister of Works, Engr. Dave Umahi, said: “the termination of the said contracts became neccessary in view of the inordinate delay of the affected companies in job performance.”

The statement signed by the minister’s spokesperson, Uchenna Orji, also cited the contractors’ “failure, neglect and or refusal to fulfill their contractual obligations as required by the Standard Conditions of Contract and this has affected the timely completion of the projects and thus resulted in the expiration of the contracts by effluxion of time.”

The minister said the projects awarded on December 3, 2012 were advertently abandoned by the contractors and no genuine commitment or good faith was shown towards executing the projects thereby exposing road users to untold hardship due to the deplorable condition of the projects.

Umahi consequently directed “the engineers in charge to take necessary steps to enter upon both the site and the works and take the same over from the affected companies”.

He directed the engineers concerned to, upon doing the needful, arrange with the affected companies for a joint measurement of work so far done by the said companies preparatory to taking over the sites from them.

He warned that the ministry under his watch won’t condone acts of unseriousnes and sabotage by contractors whose plan is to become a clog in the wheel of progress of the current administration.

He further warned that the government won’t hesitate in terminating all projects that are funded but are non-performing.