The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Malam Muhammad Musa Bello is not comfortable with a road contract awarded to a contractor, Mangrove Tech (KAKATAR) Nigeria Limited, that has shown it is not ready to do the job.
“I have heard from the contractor and I have heard from the FCTA Engineers handling this project. Based on explanations, this contract work was awarded to a contractor that was not even willing to do the job.”
The Minister spoke when he visited the road under construction since 2011 in the company of the FCT Permanent Secretary, Dr. Babatope Ajakaiye, FCDA Executive Secretary, Engineer Adamu Ismaila, to physically ascertain what is hindering the progress of the project.
“They just gave him this contract and he reluctantly accepted.”
The Minister said that he received a lot of complaints about the company, “and I understand they are doing about two districts – one in the city; another also on the way to the airport.”
Muhammad Bello lamented that if this company would not build just over nine kilometers in four years, then it might not have the capacity to continue all the existing contracts.
“It is the policy of this government to enhance local capacity. But definitely, if this is what local capacity means, then we better bring people from elsewhere to do our work for us, then we now hide our faces in shame.”
The Minister regretted that Apo-Karshi road that is not more than 13.25 kilometer has taken about 4 years so far, without completion; adding “what we have seen is a sign of what has been very wrong with us as a people.”
Muhammad Bello wondered how “a contractor that prides himself to be one of the up coming local contractors, will take us four good years to construct only about 10 kilometers of road. This is absolutely amazing.”
The minister said however that he would pay the contractor a pending job certificate of N324 million as quickly as possible even as he asked the contractor to decide whether he is ready to do the job or not.
The Director of Satellite Towns Development Department, Engr. Mohammed Soso told journalists during the inspection tour that the project is about 52 percent completed.
According to him, about N2.1 billion had already been paid to the contractor, out of the N6.4 billion total contract sum for the two contracts, namely Karshi – Ara (25.60km) – N4 billion as well as Apo-Karshi (13.25km) – N2.4 billion. [myad]
