The FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, has said the long-delayed Apo-Karshi road project will be completed within the next six months.
During a tour on Tuesday, Wike frowned at the prolonged delays, saying despite payment of 86 per cent of the contract value, the project remains under construction.
He lamented the lack of progress and emphasized the need for accountability and transparency.
According to Wike, the project was awarded 13 years ago, and has seen little advancement.
“The government has paid 86%, and look at where we are. The contract was awarded 13 years ago,” he lamented.
He said, “The situation here is very unfortunate and that is why people have lost confidence in government. This is why this present government with the Renewed Hope Agenda is bringing back that confidence of people.
“I don’t see a reason why we should do road from Karshi to Arah, which is Nassarawa, that means it is an interstate road. Interstate road has to do with federal government. FCT cannot fund an interstate road except it becomes a joint venture. Therefore, I am not going to waste the resources of FCT to do interstate road.
“The one that concerns FCT particularly is the Karshi-Apo. It is very unfortunate that for 13 good years, this road has been abandoned and I want to say clearly that part of the problem we have here is politics. Everything we politicize and that is why the development cannot get quickly to our people.
“I’m happy that this new administration of Renewed Hope Agenda, will do everything possible to see the area of Karshi to Apo is completed but my doubt is about the capacity of the contractor. I don’t need to be told, when you go to a site and you see where the company is working, you can say that this company has capacity. We’ve been to several sites, all of us can attest to the fact that when you see equipment, you can say that if they tell you they can finish the work in the next one month, you’d believe that they’d finish in the next one month. But this I don’t believe even if you put all the resources down.”
Wike attributed the delay to political interference and a lack of seriousness on the contractor’s part.
“If you go and terminate the contract, then you would also have to pay the cost of it. So these are the problems,” Wike noted.
The minister urged the contractor to mobilise equipment to the site before any additional funds are released.
“I want to urge the contractor, it will no longer be business as usual. I don’t care who you are. I don’t care where you come from. You must show that you will be serious. In the next few weeks, i want to see your equipments on ground before funds would be released. I will not release funds to you, when I have not seen your capacity. So they must move their equipments to the site and then they can convince me. But I can tell you here that I am not happy. This is not what citizens bargained for.
“It will no longer be business as usual. I don’t care who you are. I don’t care where you come from. You must show that you will be serious,” he said.
Wike also revealed plans to invite another company awarded a section of the road back to assess their progress, and noted political interests and the involvement of the staff of the Satellite Towns Development Department (STDD) in the project’s mismanagement. He pledged to take personal responsibility for the road’s completion.
“I was told that another company was awarded to this aspect of the road, and I am going to invite the company back. Look at how they awarded the jobs, you can see the political interest in whole thing and again with the connivance of the staff of the STDD. They are part of the culprits, it is unfortunate but I would take this road as a personal project now, to make sure that we complete this road,” he said.