FG terminates 3 contracts over road projects sabotage, unseriousness

The Federal Government has said it will not condone acts of unseriousness and sabotage by contractors whose plan is to become a clog in wheel of progress of Renewed Hope administration which is determined to change ugly narrative of Nigeria’s road infrastructure.

Minister of Works who disclosed this in a statement released on Monday by his aide, while sounded serious warning that going forward, federal government will not hesitate in terminating projects that are funded but are non-performing.

In view of this non-performance projeo, the Minister terminated contract numbers 6136, 6137 and 6138 belonging to Mothercat Limited Dantata & Sawoe Construction Limited and RCC Limited respectively.

While the projects affected by this termination are the dualization of Obajana – Benin road, section II (Okene – Auchi) in Kogi/Edo State; the dualization of Obajana – Benin road, section III (Auchi – Ehor) in Edo State and the dualization of Obajana – Benin road section IV (Ehor – Benin) in Edo State.

He further said the termination of the contracts became neccessary over the inordinate delay of the affected companies in job performance, their failure, neglect.
“And refusal to fulfill their contractual obligations as required by the Standard Conditions of Contract and this has affected the timely completion of the projects and thus resulted in the expiration of the contracts by effluxion of time”.

He said the projects were awarded on 3rd December 2012 advertently abandoned by the contractors and no genuine commitment or good faith was shown towards executing the projects.

He explained further that this after accepting the considerations offered by the Federal Government and thereby exposing the road users to untold hardship due to deplorable condition of the projects.
The Minister has therefore directed the engineers in charge to take necessary steps to enter upon both the site and the works and take the same over from the affected companies.

Umahi further directs the engineers concerned to, upon doing the needful, arrange with the affected companies for a joint measurement of work so far done by the said companies.

In preparatory to taking over the sites from the said companies, stating further that this directive is without prejudice to the exercise of other rights of Federal Government under the contract.