Minister Threatens To Invite Anti-Graft Agencies Over Slow Pace Of Road Projects

Minister of Works, Engr. David Umahi, has lamented the dilatory gait of enactment connected the Abuja-Lokoja Highway project.

Umahi told journalists during the inspection of roadworthy projects successful the North Central portion implicit the play that the concern was not peculiar to the Abuja-Lokoja Highway.

He said the national authorities whitethorn invitation the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC to intervene if the contractors neglect to unrecorded up to expectations.

He said, “They are not facing them yet. When they come, we’ll springiness them clip successful enactment with the instrumentality and the agreement, and if they fail, past we person nary prime but to manus implicit the combat to the EFCC and ICPC to retrieve the funds.

“But fto maine accidental mostly that I consciousness truthful bittersweet with the roads, you know, betwixt Abuja and Lokoja. It’s truthful frightening, you see, the situation. But fto maine accidental that it’s not peculiar to this route. Like I said before, what the President inherited is frightening and adjacent if you enactment each the nation’s resources into rebuilding each these roads, they won’t beryllium enough.

“So, we are doing the champion that we tin successful the circumstance, knowing that helium inherited an system wherever everything became a precedence and yet helium has fixed roads and bridges precise precocious priority,” Umahi said.

The curate admitted that roadworthy infrastructure faced challenges and that the President had demonstrated committedness to prioritising roadworthy infrastructure by ensuring capable funding.

He explained that the 3 jobs were awarded successful 2023. “They whitethorn beryllium facing the EFCC, you know, arsenic we summoned them to the office. Their prime is good, but the gait is terrible, and that’s wherefore we decided to travel to spot this thing.

But we’re going to beryllium precise hard connected ourselves arsenic the Ministry of Works due to the fact that I deliberation we request to crook a caller leafage successful presumption of pushing these contractors”.

“We request it arsenic you cognize leaders successful the bureau to cognize that these 3 sections of the occupation it’s not going obscurity since 2023 September. So, for 2 years, a contractor who has 3 kilometres has done 400 metres. How tin we warrant that? Our unit successful the tract are expected to rise an alarm and that is what we are going to beryllium charging them to bash now. If they don’t bash so, we’re going to clasp them responsible,” Umahi said.

He said contractors would beryllium paid for jobs done (milestone completion),and those who could not conscionable the national authorities targets would person their jobs revoked and fixed to those who could.

He noted that the President has directed that the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) roadworthy projects indispensable continue, but not connected the erstwhile terms.

The curate continued, “If I travel successful November and the task is inactive similar this, I volition halt the job. The prime of the occupation is excellent, but the gait of the enactment is nonsensical. Is that okay? You are performing adjacent poorer connected the Benin-Warri Road, but that is for different day, adjacent week, we are going there.

“The magnitude is N56 billion, and the occupation has to beryllium completed successful April 2026. It was to beryllium done connected asphalt, but the contractor came and said, we person realised that factual introduced is precise good. Can you let america to usage factual and support the aforesaid cost? We worked it out, and then, we agreed that you tin usage factual to screen the full 53 kilometres. That’s what we are doing,” helium added.