…Urges CCECC, Mothercat, Dantata & Sawoe, CGC, RCC to sign new/reviewed contract or face job termination
…Directs ministry to audit all ongoing projects, including personnel, equipment within 7 days
By Dele Ogbodo
The Minister of Works, Engr. David Umahi, on Thursday directed the 5 contractors handling sections I-IV of Lokoja-Benin, Obajana Junction-Benin roads in Kogi and Edo States to immediately sign the new contract as reviewed under the Renewed Hope Administration of President Bola Tinubu or face the termination of their job accordance with the condition of service.
The directive was given in a meeting with the representatives of Mothercat Ltd, CCECC Ltd, Dantata & Sawoe Ltd, CGC Ltd and RCC Ltd at the Ministry’s Headquarters, in Abuja.
He further directed the Ministry to, within 7 days carry out a comprehensive audit of the ongoing projects with a view to knowing the status of work done, the capacity of personnel and equipment being used by the contractors.
Speaking during the meeting, the Minister frowned at the pranks of the contractors who were part of the process of re-scoping and reviewing the contract specifications but failed to sign the review contract documents after signing that they would do the job based on the new specification.
He said, ”The project was initially N121 billion, but before the administration of President Bola Tinubu, the project was already reviewed to about over N870 billion.
When I came in as Minister, I saw that the project was over-bloated, and I refused to take the ‘NO OBJECTION to FEC, adding: “I had to go through the road myself, and I realized that some sections of the road could not survive asphalt.
“So we started meetings that took us over five months with all the contractors, and in the meetings, we agreed to re-scope the project. So we re-scoped the project where we said okay, the new lanes should be done on concrete and the other ones done on asphalt.
“So we kept the contracts up and we all signed the documents and based on signing the documents, we took it to BPP and from BPP we went to FEC, and before we went to FEC, we demanded for them to approve that they can do the job. They all gave us letters of approval.”
The Minister wondered why contractors were given jobs without having the required manpower and equipment to do the job, and warned that henceforth any contractor signing a contract must sign alongside the basic rate and timeline.
He said: ”So the position of the government is that if you are not signing the contracts between today and tomorrow, you will forgo the jobs. You can go to court.
“We will not enter into any condition for further negotiation. This contract is over N2 billion per kilometer.
You don’t have equipment to do the work. Let me even assure you that if you are signing the contract, you will sign it alongside the basic rates. You sign it alongside the timetable, and you deploy in three sections, or I will terminate the job. Enough of playing with the psyche of the people.”
He further stated that the Ministry would not allow any contractor to hold the country to ransom or to impose their conditions on the Ministry. “You don’t want to work, leave the job. It’s not compulsory that you must be the one to do the job.
You cannot be on site, and the people are dying. The vehicles are falling down, and you’re playing politics with the lives of the people.
And we fold our hands and leave you for what? You can’t be on site….So if you are not working, pack your things out of that site.”
In his remarks, the Director, Highways (SP) South, Engr. C.A Ogbuagu gave account of the technical processes undertaken by the Ministry before FEC approved the augmentation of the project, which the contractors accepted, and letters of award were given to them.
Umahi, again wondered why the contractors refused to sign the new document.
He said,” After the FEC’s approval of the argumentation, the legal department was brought in so that this new contract will now be executed so that work will continue on site. So, for about two weeks now, the draft addendum has been with the contractors, and none of them has positively responded, except RCC.”
The CGC in his reply, expressed commitment to the directive of the Minister and said, “for our side, and firstly for our section, and currently we are seriously working.
“And secondly, we have a sent the draft to the Head Office and if there is any issue, we have answered them and may be later tomorrow morning, we can get the approval from them so we can go ahead.”
It is hoped that the other contractors will sign the new contract latest Monday 29th April, and then mobilize effectively to the site, he charged.