…Gives contractors 3 months deadline for project delivery
By Hilary Asemota
The Minister of Works, Engr. David Umahi on Monday took a swipe on contractors handling road projects across the country even as he labelled them as constituting clog in the wheel of President Bola Tinubu’s revolution as encapsulated in the Renewed Hope administration.
Ostensibly aggrieved from their lack of patriotism in the implementation of Federal Government’s projects, the Minister while brandishing the riot acts gave contractors handling the 260 emergency projects 3 months deadline to complete the projects as required by the Standard Conditions of Contract of the Ministry or face cancellation of the deal.
This ultimatum was issued during a meeting of the management of the Federal Ministry of Works with the contractors handling the various projects and the Federal Controllers of Works held at the Ministry’s headquarters, Mabushi, Abuja.
Umahi, said the emergency road projects were appropriated in the 2023 supplementary budget with the intention to bring immediate intervention on the completely failed parts of critical federal roads nationwide with a view to restoring the serviceability level of the affected roads.
He listed about 37 contractors who have achieved little or no milestone in the project delivery since the contracts were awarded and warned that such contractors must mobilize effectively to the site latest Wednesday 10th July 2024 or face contract termination.
He said: “If after the deadline for mobilization to the site, any contractor fails to comply, the job shall be terminated by effluxion of time as the contract is for a time limit of 3 months.
He further directed: “Any contractor whose job has stayed for more than 3 months without completion after the issuance of award letter must seek and obtain approval for extention of time from the Federal Ministry of Works.”
According to him, the defaulting contractors, most of whom are handling emergency road projects in Yobe,Jigawa, Zamfara, Benue,Kogi, Abia, Anambra, Imo, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River and River States were warned that the projects awarded to them must be delivered in three 3 months’ time as no excuse of security challenges or lack of mobilization funds would justify the sufferings they are subjecting road users or shield them from being blacklisted.
The Minister added that the contractors were constituting a clog in the wheel of progress in the efforts of the Renewed Hope administration in revolutionizing road infrastructure for Nigeria’s economic prosperity.
“The people are suffering, the President is having sleepless nights in his efforts to fix our road infrastructure to help our economy, and people will be given jobs and they are telling us stories.
“There have been jobs awarded by this ministry in the past and money paid, and the contractors would hold the money, and they would say it’s a security problem. Didn’t you know about the security situation before you got the job?”He gave a marching order to the Federal Controllers of Works to ensure proper supervision of projects in their sites and be abreast with the contract awarded, amount, date of award, time line, review date, extension of time, argumentation granted and whether the contractor is on site.
He reiterated that mobilization funding under the Standard conditions of contract is not a condition precedent for them to move to the site but it is at the discretion of the Federal Ministry of Works and can be made available only to contractors who can undertake through affidavit of commitment to complete the job within three months of mobilization.
He stated: “Our new policy is that if you want mobilization and we are happy to give you, you will abide by the conditions. One is that there will be no review of any component of the mobilization given.
“Two, we will give you 30% and you will do 30% of work before we can give you another money.
“So please, mobilization is not compulsory. Is that clear? Again, emergency projects are not mobilized. The rule is that in emergency projects, you will go and do it 100%, and then you submit your papers.
We now pay you 80% and send your documents to BPP. When they approve, we pay you the balance of 20%.”
In his remarks, the Permanent Secretary, Yakubu Adam Kofarmata, stated that the period had gone when contractors were taking the country for granted and could afford to delay in job delivery for years after collecting mobilization and would keep feeding on the VOP.
He charged the contractors to brace up to the new spirit of “Nigeria first,” introduced in the Federal Ministry of Works under the Renewed Hope administration of President Tinubu.
“Honestly, we have a stake. It is about the Nigerian nation. We don’t have any other country other than Nigeria. Believe me, we are pushing the Minister right now to stop considering this VOP and augmentation, because, there is no reason, after being given an award letter, you come and say you are waiting for payment for six months. Please, let us consider the nation first. Once we put Nigeria first. You see that things will move. “
