FG Terminates Obajana-Benin Road Project Contract Over Delay

Federal Ministry of Works has terminated the Obajana-Benin Road contracts awarded to Mothercat Ltd, Dantata and Sawoe Construction Ltd, and RCC Ltd over delay and non-performance.

The minister of works, David Umahi, who announced the action, warned that the government will extend the same measure to all ” funded but non-performing projects”.

Umahi said the affected projects are 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) in Edo State.

He said contract numbers 6136, 6137, and 6138 with Mothercat Ltd, Dantata & Sawoe Construction Ltd, and RCC Ltd were terminated due to delays by the contractors despite the funding.

Umahi, in a statement issued by his special adviser on media, Barr. Orji Uchenna Orji said the termination of the contracts became necessary given “the inordinate delay of the affected companies in job performance and their failure, neglect and or refusal to fulfil their contractual obligations as required by the standard conditions of the contract.”

He said the contractors’ attitude affected the timely completion of the projects and “thus resulted in the expiration of the contracts by extension of time.”

Engr Umahi said the projects which were awarded on 3rd December 2012 were advertently abandoned by the contractors as “no genuine commitment or good faith was shown towards executing the projects after accepting the considerations offered by the federal government and thereby exposing the road users to untold hardship due to the deplorable condition of the projects”.

Therefore, the minister directed the engineers to take the necessary steps to enter both the site and the works and take them over from the affected companies.

He directed the engineers concerned to arrange with the affected companies for joint measurement of work so far done by the said companies preparatory to taking over the sites from the said companies, and “this directive is without prejudice to the exercise of other rights of the federal government under the contract,” he added.

The minister warned that the Federal Ministry of Works under his watch “will not condone acts of unseriousness and sabotage by contractors whose plan is to become a clog in the wheel of progress of the Renewed Hope administration, which is determined to change the ugly narrative of Nigeria’s road infrastructure,” he said.