The Minister of Works, Engr. David Umahi, has tasked contractors to deploy more resources to meet the project completion timelines or face termination of contracts.
He gave the charge while inspecting road protects in the South-East and South-South regions of the country.
In a statement by the Director of Information, Ministry of Works, Mohammed Ahmed, Umahi expressed satisfaction with the quality of work on the Section III of East-West Road (Eleme Junction – Onne Junction), but directed the contractor, Messrs Reynolds Construction Company (RCC), to deploy more resources to hasten the pace of work or face re-scoping and re-award of the contract.
The Minister reminded the contractor that it has up to the end of April, 2025, to deliver a section of the carriageway.
The statement said Umahi began the inspection of ongoing road projects in the South-East and South-South geopolitical zones on Tuesday, January 7, 2024, with the Enugu – Port Harcourt Expressway Section III (Umuahia – Aba) where he applauded the contractor, Messrs Arab Contractors (Nig.) Ltd., on the quality of work but instructed them to deploy in two more sites to speed up the construction and meet the set dateline.
The Minister, who also visited Section IV (Aba – Port Harcourt) of the same alignment being handled by Messrs China Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC), expressed displeasure over the slow pace of work, noting that they have only been able to access N7, 000,000,000:00 out of the N21,000,000,000:00 provided for the project last year.
Consequently, he instructed the Federal Controller of Works (FCW) in Rivers State to issue a warning notice to the contractor, promising to terminate it, if there was no improvements in the tempo of work.
Umahi also visited the Bodo-Bonny Road, where he voiced discontent with the level of work achieved.
He prodded the Contractor, Messrs Julius Berger (Nig.) Plc (JBN), to upscale their deployment of men, materials and machines, despite working throughout the Yuletide holidays.
The project, a critical component of the South-South zone’s infrastructure development, is a 2-lane road with hard shoulders, 17 bridges spanning 3,200 meters and reinforced concrete pavement on Bonny Island.
At all construction sites visited, Engr. Umahi stressed the urgency to meet deadlines, emphasising that all contractors must intensify their efforts to ensure the timely realisation of the projects, in line with the Federal Government’s resolve to enhance infrastructure and transportation as enablers of growth, succinctly captured in the President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
“The essence is to improve connectivity, as well as stimulate socio-economic growth,” he said.
The Minister issued clear directives to Federal Controllers of Works to present at least four completed projects each for commissioning from February to May 20 this year.
“The expectation is that every Controller delivers on his mandates, according to specifications and time allotted. There is no room for further delays,” he declared.
In the light of the delay in the delivery of some projects, the Minister cautioned that the Ministry was poised to take decisive actions.
He said: “The Ministry will not tolerate delays. Any contractor, who does not meet his contractual obligations will face consequences, cumulating into a 14-day Notice of Termination of Contract,” he added, emphasising that such actions would apply to all underperforming contracts.
Despite the challenges, he reassured Nigerians that President Tinubu remained fully committed to the completion of inherited projects as well as the four Legacy Projects he initiated.
“The President has not abandoned these projects. It is the contractors, who have delayed the work. This year, we will be stricter in ensuring that projects are completed on course,” he assured.
Engr. Umahi guaranteed that the Ministry will continue to closely monitor all ongoing projects, ensuring that they align with President Tinubu’s vision for accelerated national growth and development. He concluded by calling for greater teamwork from all stakeholders in the management and delivery of road and bridge projects.
“We all need to work together – government, contractors and the general public towards ensuring that deadlines are met. No contractor should collect government funds and fail to deliver on their promises. Henceforth, we will be more observant and take necessary actions towards ensuring the successful completion of these projects,” he stated.
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