….Govt. to revoke N3.1bn road contract
Nasarawa State House of Assembly, has threatened to invoke the necessary sections of the constitution to enable the state government halt the ongoing rehabilitation of the 32-km Audu/Azara road over poor work.
The House said the rehabilitation job, estimated to cost N3.1 billion, is being poorly executed, warning the contractor to sit up or lose the job.
The House said it was highly disappointed with the level of work done by the contractor after collecting N1.1 billion out of the N3.1 billion contract sum from the state government.
Mr Suleiman Azara, the Chairman, House of Assembly Committee on Works, stated this while inspecting state roads in Awe and Doma Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the state on Wednesday.
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“This visit will enable us to assess the level of work done across the state,” he said
Azara said that the committee would not fold its hand watching as some contractors are sabotaging Gov. Abdullahi Sule’s good intentions.
“We are disappointed with the contractor handling the Adudu/Azara road. You are not helping us and the Government.
“We are not also happy with the Ministry because it is its duty to supervise the contractor and ensure standard work
“We will invoke the constitution to direct the state government to revoke the contract if the contractor failed to do the needful,” he said
At Doma LGA, he commended the contractor handling the 24-km Idadu/Agbashi road for a job well done.
Azara, however, urged them to improve on the thickness of the lateral work.
The committee chairman appealed to the state government to extend the Agbashi road to Odeni Gida community of Nasarawa LGA to link the community with other communities and boost their socio-economic activities.
Azara said that the committee would continue to inspect project sites in order to ensure that contractors do not shortchange the state government.
“What we are after is standard and quality work that will stand the test of time.”
He said Gov. Sule has invested and is still investing so much in infrastructural development of the state.
“He is doing well in order to improve on the lives of our people and for the overall development of the state,” he said.
Azara urged the ministry to continue to be up and doing in ensuring that contractors do not fall short of standards in project execution in the state.
He also urged the contractors to adhere strictly to project specifications for the overall development of the state.
The committee chairman assured of support to the state government in delivering dividends of democracy to the people via project executions.
Also speaking, Mr Muazu Gosho, the Commissioner for Works, appreciated the committee for leaving no stone unturned in ensuring that quality jobs are delivered by contractors.
Gosho also commended Gov. Sule for his laudable projects across the state and called for its sustenance.
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The commissioner assured of his readiness to ensure that the right things are done for the development of the state.
Earlier, Engr Faisid Mould of Rim Construction Company Limited, the contractor handling the Adudu/Azara road, confirmed receiving a mobilization fee of N1.1 million from the award contract of N3.1 billion.
He, however, lamented inadequate funding as the major factor affecting the work, a comment the committee frowned at.
On his part, Engr. Zhang Hongtao, Project Manager of Roads and Bridges Construction Company, handling the 24-km Idadu/Agbashi road, said that they will continue to do their best to give results.
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The project manager assured that the job would be completed on schedule and according to specifications. (NAN)
