The Minister of Works, Engr. David Umahi, has again threatened to revoke the sections I-IV Lokoja-Benin, Obajana Junction Benin roads in Kogi and Edo States should the contractors handling the project fail to sign the reviewed contract.

Umahi issued the fresh threat during a meeting with the contractors in his office, in Abuja, yesterday.

The Miniater had in March issued a similar threat during a visit to the Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki. He had expressed displeasure over the slow pace of work earlier this year.

Representatives of the contractors messers Mothercat Ltd, CCECC Ltd, Dantat & Sawoe Ltd, CGC Ltd and RCC Ltd attended the latest meeting with the minister in his Abuja office, on Thursday.

The minister also directed staff of his 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.

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Umahi did not mince words when he expressed displeasure at what he described as the pranks being played by the contractors.

He noted that they were part of the process of re-scoping and reviewing the contract specifications but that they failed to sign the review contract documents after signing that they would do the job based on the new specification.

Umahi said, ”The project was initially N121 billion, but before the administration of President Ahmed 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. 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.

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“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.”

He wondered why contractors were given jobs without having the required manpower and equipment to execute, and warned that henceforth, any contractor signing a contract must sign alongside the basic rate and timeline.

The minister furthersaid, ”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 declared that the Ministry would not allow any contractor to hold the nation to ransom or to impose their conditions on the Ministry.

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Umahi said, “You don’t want to work, leave the job. It’s not compulsory that you must be the one to do the job. You can not 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 techinical processes undertaken by the Ministry before Federal Executive Council approved the augmentation of the project,
which the contractors accepted, and letters of award were given to them.

He expressed suprise that 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.”

In its response, the representative of the CGC 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 there 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.”