Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has read the riot act to waste management contractors in the nation’s capital, declaring a zero-tolerance policy for inefficiency and vowing to terminate the contracts of underperforming firms immediately.
Wike, during a meeting with FCT waste management contractors in Abuja on Friday, expressed frustration with the current state of waste management, which he identified as a major problem area.
He blamed the situation on what he termed political contractors who lacked the capacity to do the job but were awarded contracts through a flawed system.
“I found out that so many of the contractors don’t have any capacity for waste management. Of course, in our system, anything goes.
“When you take steps, a lot of us put different colourations and we felt that we have to put a stop to these political contractors,” he said.
To ensure compliance, the minister announced the immediate establishment of a task force to monitor the contractors’ work before any payments were approved.
He expressed skepticism about the existing demarcation of zones, promising a thorough review.
Wike also took aim at affluent residents of highbrow districts like Asokoro and Maitama, whom he accused of refusing to pay for waste collection services while littering the environment.
“If you go to Asokoro now, you will see no poor man lives there. They are all big men with beautiful houses, but they bring out their refuse and put it in front. Now, who will come and collect it? You. Who will pay? They expect that it is the responsibility of government to do it free of charge,” he said.
The minister issued a specific warning to the contractor handling the Asokoro district, which includes his daily route, stating that any accumulation of refuse would lead to immediate termination of the contract.
“So, if your company is Oscar, know that as I go to work and I see refuse, I will terminate the work immediately. We remember that you have not done your job and then you want us to pay,” Wike said.
Wike also directed all contractors to deploy special teams to work on Saturdays and Sundays, insisting that refuse must not be left unattended over the weekend.
“You cannot say because of the weekend, Saturday, Sunday, you don’t work, there’s nothing like that,” he said.
He outlined a strict regime of consequences for failure, including deductions from payments for each day of non-performance and immediate contract termination for companies with faulty equipment.
“If you don’t work for a day, we will deduct it. If you say we were trying to fix our equipment that means it is a failure and we will not suffer because your equipment are broken down,” Wike said.
He also ordered an urgent verification, to be concluded by Monday, of all companies, especially the 54 contractors who were allocated multiple zones, to confirm they have functional offices and equipment, and not scraps.
However, the minister pleaded with the contractors to see their assignment as a patriotic duty for the development of Nigeria’s capital, assuring them that prompt payment was guaranteed for work done, but stressed that the era of influence-peddling was over.
“The only person who knows me is the person who wants to do the job and do it very well. If you do like to be related to me, if you like let us be twins, It is not my business. We must get the job done,” the Minister stated.
