•David Umahi
Works Minister David Umahi has given a construction firm, GELD, 72 hours to fully mobilise to its section of the Abuja-Lokoja Highway.
He also summoned the contractors handling the federal road project for a performance and financial review amid concerns over slow project delivery, reports The Nation.
The minister also threatened sanctions against officials of the Federal Ministry of Works accused of poor supervision, warning that engineers and project managers who fail to effectively monitor contractors would be removed from their positions.
Umahi said this yesterday during a joint inspection of the Abuja-Lokoja highway with the chairmen of the Senate and House of Representatives Committees on Works, where the lawmakers joined him in expressing concern over delays, inadequate supervision, and funding challenges affecting road projects.
The minister expressed dissatisfaction with the pace of work on GELD Construction Limited’s section of the highway.
He said only about 8.2 kilometres of concrete pavement had been completed on a 28-kilometre stretch, even though the contractor had spent several years on site.
Umahi stated that the original contract covered 49.28 kilometres but was later reduced to 28 kilometres because of funding constraints.
“GELD is not doing well at all on this project. The contractor has been on this job for years and the progress recorded is not commensurate with the time spent on site,” he said.
The minister directed the ministry’s officials to identify the most deteriorated portions of the highway for immediate intervention with the use of available advance payment funds, stressing that motorists should not continue to bear the burden of project delays.
He decried recurring traffic disruptions caused by construction activities and insisted that no section of a federal highway should remain closed for more than 14 days without adequate alternative routes.
“I feel very sad whenever I see this road completely blocked. Contractors have no right to keep road users suffering. The ministry’s officials have no right to keep quiet while that happens,” he said.
Umahi faulted some ministry officials for weak project monitoring, stressing that certain engineers supervising multiple projects were unable to provide lawmakers with basic information about contracts under their watch.
He warned contractors still holding government advance payments to deploy the funds to ongoing projects or face possible sanctions by anti-corruption agencies.
Acknowledging the challenges arising from delayed payments, the minister appealed to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) to expedite the release of funds for road projects being financed under its Tax Credit Scheme arrangement with the Federal Government.
He announced that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had approved measures to facilitate payments but expressed concern over delays in implementation.
“The road users are the ones suffering. If urgent action is not taken, the condition of some sections of this corridor could deteriorate significantly within a few months,” he said.
Umahi reiterated that contractors unwilling or unable to continue work despite receiving the government’s funds could be replaced.
The minister maintained that the Tinubu administration remained committed to completing strategic road projects across the country.
Also, the Chairman of the House Committee on Works, Akin Alabi, backed the minister’s position, stating that successful delivery of road infrastructure requires commitment from contractors, ministry officials and funding agencies.
He said lawmakers were concerned about the disparity between reports submitted to the ministry and the realities observed on project sites.
“The president cannot be everywhere, and neither can the minister. That is why there are engineers, controllers and supervisors on site. What we have seen here suggests that reports reaching the minister do not fully reflect realities on the ground,” Alabi said.
The lawmaker urged contractors to sustain work despite cash flow challenges and called on NNPC Limited, the Ministry of Finance and other relevant agencies to accelerate payments for completed works.
Also, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Works, Onyekachi Nwaebonyi, urged ministry officials to discharge their responsibilities diligently, arguing that public criticism often falls on elected officials even when failures originate from poor implementation and supervision.
Nwaebonyi also appealed to agencies responsible for contractor payments not to undermine the administration’s infrastructure programme through unnecessary delays.
“If approvals have been granted, payments should be made. Nigerians want to see results and are no longer interested in excuses,” he said.
The senator stated that the National Assembly committees would return for a follow-up inspection and warned that lawmakers would make their findings public if significant improvements were not recorded.
