FG to pay road contractors N431bn, demands 10-year guarantee

The Federal Government, through the Ministry of Works says it has N431bn ready for contractors.

The Minister of Works, David Umahi, disclosed this, while meeting with contractors handling road dualisation projects and zonal directors of the ministry at its office in Abuja on Thursday.

The minister also announced the ninistry’s intention to focus on most of the dualised roads across the country.

Umahi said he had also come up with a performance bond, which meant that all new projects would be guaranteed for 10 years.

 He said, “Why we are here now is to announce our intention to face most of the dualised roads in the country.

“I want to remind you that Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation is funding 50 per cent of the contract sum and that funding goes up to 2025.

“We have N431bn of money that is ready for contractors to clear but there is no certificate for it. If you are doing a job under Phase 1, make an effort to make claims, if your job involves augmentation go back to your regional director for understanding before I sign the certificate. Any certificate I sign now, I have to take account for it even when I have leave office.”

Speaking through the Director of Information, Press and Public Relations Unit, Blessing Lere-Adams, Umahi, further urged the contractors to stick to one lane if their job had not gone up to 50 per cent completion.

He urged all contractors that had built roads that could not last up to 10 years to write to the ministry to either stop work or rebuild the road to last 10 years.

The minister warned contractors that he would not listen to stories of failures on the roads due to overloading.

He urged them to cooperate with him in building roads with concrete technology as it was done both in India and Singapore.

Umahi also told the contractors and stakeholders to key into the ‘Renewed Hope Agenda of Mr President’.

He said this administration had 18000kilometre of roads, and inherited a contract of about N14.1tn, out of which N4tn was being paid in all those projects , and some of the projects had lasted between 10 to 20years.

The minister alleged some contractors jerked up the contractor sum by 100 per cent, a reason they were not getting paid.