Plans are underway by the Federal Government to complete the Benin-Lokoja road project in the next six months, Minister of Works, David Umahi has disclosed.
Gatekeepers News reports that Umahi disclosed this detail in Abuja on Thursday at a meeting with the contractors responsible for the road projects.
Umahi stated that the federal government has devised methods to expedite the completion of the road project, which was awarded in 2012 but has yet to be finished.
He stated that the federal government had consented to BUA’s offer to undertake the construction of 30 kilometres of the road under the tax credit scheme, leading to a subsequent tax certificate award to the company.
The minister also stated that three additional contractors would be deployed to work on the remaining 30 kilometres of the road.
“Four contractors will handle the four sections off the road.
“The first section from Lokoja is being handled by CGC, the second section is being handled by Mother Cat, the third section is handled by Dantata and Sawoe while the last section is handled by RCC.
“Let me say that this project was first awarded in 2012, later the last administration reviewed the project to N879 billion under the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) tax credit scheme.
“However, the costs of the project is different from the commitment of NNPC because NNPC’s commitment was just N122 billion and so there was a funding gap of N775 billion and I don’t see where that money is coming from.
“So all I did when we came onboard was to keep the project but review the texture of the pavement, by allowing the existing carriageway to be asphalt and then reviewed the new carriage way to be concrete,” Umahi explained.
Furthermore, Umahi stated that the ministry intends to mobilize the contractors by signing an addendum that allows them to collect 30 percent of the funds, amounting to N9 billion each, to expedite the project.
He, however, said that the contractors would do an affidavit agreeing on the timing for completion of the project.
“We are very serious about the timing of our projects; we no longer allow contractors to determine how long they stay on site.
“We have to demand for timetable, and we have to work according to the timetable. So I am appealing to you contractors to be diligent and committed,” he said.
On his part, Kabiru Rabiu, Group Executive Director, BUA Group, said the company was committed to supporting the administration of President Bola Tinubu to succeed.
According to Rabiu, in Edo alone, BUA made an investment of over 2billion dollars with five lines of cement.
He said that the construction of the 30 kilometres road was also in favour of the group as well as the people of Edo.
“I want to give our commitment to take on the road project. We are committed to make the necessary investment under the tax credit scheme in return for a tax certificate,” he said.
