FG Warns Contractors Over Road Projects Delay, To Sanction Erring Contractors

The Federal Government has expressed dissatisfaction with contractors who manage road projects because they don’t meet their obligations, which has hampered development and caused Nigerians to endure untold hardship.

The Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, promised to punish contractors who don’t fulfill their obligations while speaking to journalists during a tour of the ongoing projects in Rivers State.

When Umahi visited the Ahoada Section of the East-West Road, he vowed to punish the contractors involved in the project for their unprofessional actions.

He berated the contractors for the slow work, accusing them of being indifferent to the project and playing politics with it despite receiving payments, and promised to use them as scapegoats to teach others.

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“I have seen a situation here where the ministry staff, they don’t have drawings, they don’t have Bill of quantities. They are not in charge of the project, so how will the project move”? he queried.

“I’m going to use the engineers to provide an example for this job.” I’ll ask the permanent secretary to respond to any queries I make. We will use consultants to supervise the jobs where the ministry staff is unable to do so. The jobs must be done”.

He claimed that the contractors’ delays in the projects are not the President’s fault and that neither he nor he himself provided the funds needed for the projects.

He praised the contractors for their work, citing the delay as the cause of the delay.

“Both contractors (Rock Result and Setraco) are doing quality jobs, but Rock Result has delayed the job terribly. I’ve given him a 7-day notice and ordered that all of his payment certificates be blocked. Without the completion of this first carriage, he won’t receive a dime. If it is not completed, I will terminate the contract. I’ve given the controller the order to ask him a query.

The Minister of Works stated that the work must be finished by September 2025, stressing that Julius Berger has “badly delayed” it despite receiving 85 percent of the contract amount, which is N199 billion.

“This work will not go beyond September. This job has been badly delayed. And you are aware that Julius Berger and I spent a year working on this project. Even in a contractual bridge, Berger must demobilize without giving the client any notice.

He praised President Bola Tinubu for his support for the people of the Nigeria Delta and other regions of the nation.

“I want to give Mr. President a very high recommendation for his commitment to the people of the Nigeria Delta and, of course, to every region of this nation.

Prior to that, the Minister visited the Eleme/Ogoni East West Road axis and thanked the contractors (RCC) for their high standard of work, but expressed disappointment with the slow progress of the project.

He urged the contractors to move quickly because the President needs to commission it, stressing that projects have already been commissioned in sections and making sure they are finished by April.

If the contractor doesn’t demonstrate seriousness, he threatened to revoke the contract, noting that Nigerians are suffering as a result.

Source: Channels TV