The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Works, Senator, Barinada Mpigi, has commended the bold steps of President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu in tackling the challenges that inhibit road infrastructure development in Nigeria.
This is as the committee has threatened to issue arrest warrant on Julius Berger officials if the company continues to shun its invitation.
Mpigi spoke on Thursday, during an investigative hearing of the Senate Committee on Works on contractors’ slow pace of work on the Odukpani-Aba-Odukpani-Ikot Ekpene and other sections ending at Benin, including the Odukpani-Itu Highway, the Eket Bypass, Port Harcourt – Ahoada, Ahoada – Kaiama, and Port Harcourt – Onne Junction Sections of the East-West Road.
In the meeting, which had in attendance, the members of the Committee, the Minister of Works, Engr. Nweze David Umahi, with his management team and concerned contractors including, CCECC, RCC, SAMATECH, GITTO and SETRACO, the Senate Committee Chairman stated that the Senate is prepared to fully back actions that hold contractors accountable and put an end to practices that delay the impact of the administration’s infrastructure delivery goals.
He maintained that Nigerians deserve nothing short of the best in their road infrastructure deliverables and urged stakeholders to uphold their responsibilities in this regard.
He commended the Federal Ministry of Works for the technical innovations they have brought to the construction industry and warned that it was no longer business as usual for contractors to collect tax payers’ money and would delay in completing the projects they contracted to do or do a substandard job.
He said, “In addition to his technical innovations, Senator Umahi has demonstrated remarkable decisiveness in identifying and addressing non-performing contracts. His actions in revoking underperforming agreements and ensuring that public funds are redirected to more capable contractors reflect a deep commitment to the Renewed Hope Agenda of this administration. This agenda prioritizes infrastructure as the backbone of economic revitalization, and we, in the Senate, will support every step taken to ensure its success.”
He decried the hardship contractors’ behaviour has caused road users, warning that the era of such behaviours of contractors had gone.
“This deplorable condition has resulted in devastating consequences. Precious lives have been lost, not just on the highway but also among those forced to seek alternative routes through treacherous river crossings. The tragic accident near the Mini Itu bridgehead in Odukpani Local Government Area, which claimed five lives, is a stark reminder of the urgency of this issue.
“Contractors, including RCC, have received substantial funds, including the N15 billion that was injected into this project, yet delivery remains elusive. The other stretch of the East-West Road has contractors like RCC, Setraco, and Gitto who have been paid billions, yet the pace of work is far from acceptable,” he said.
The Senate Committee on Works had given Julius Berger Plc ultimatum to appear before it on December 6, 2024.
In a motion moved and adopted during the investigative hearing, the Senate resolved that it would have no option than to issue a warrant of arrest on Julius Berger Plc should it fail to appear before it.
Moving the motion, a member of the Committee, Sen. Asuquo Ekpenyong said, “Messrs. Julius Berger Nigeria Limited is not here. Now, my understanding is that Messrs. Julius Berger Nigeria Plc bidded, was selected, and awarded this job. Funds from taxpayers across this country were disbursed to them.
“Our understanding is that they showed up on site for a brief period and have since abandoned the site. It is our collective resolve as a committee that under the new Minister’s rule, Julius Berger should be produced to this committee in 24 hours by 2 p.m, the 6th of December, 2024, a failure of which will lead to our invoking our constitutional powers and issuing a warrant of arrest on messrs. Julius Berger Nigeria Plc.”
Speaking during the event, the Minister of Works, David Umahi, thanked the Senate leadership, Senate Committee on Works and indeed the 10th NASS for placing a watch on the contractors to ensure value for money, speedy and quality delivery of all the road projects of this administration.
He commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for giving priority attention to the completion of the inherited ongoing projects and for the vision that informed the initiative to construct the four Legacy projects cutting across the 6 Geo-Political Zones.
He noted the impediments to the execution of the ongoing projects but assured that Mr. President was tackling the situation.
He said, “It’s very rare for a President to come on board, and he decided to ignore new projects and decided to take on all the inherited projects and do them at the same time. It’s very rare. We have a country where we want to make an omelet, but we don’t want to strike an egg.
“The projects of roads can not and will never be executed to the satisfaction of the public by using budgetary allocations. There must be different kinds of funding. These different kinds of funding must have to come from either bond or loan to do the job. But the public is saying, no, the President is taking a loan. But, the President is taking a loan to invest in infrastructure development. And that’s what every developed country follows.”
He spoke of the efforts made by the Ministry on the Odukpani-Aba-Odukpani-Ikot Ekpene road, “And so we modified it and then put more stronger sub base and then we increased the thickness of the asphalt pavement so that we can finish the existing pavement as quickly as possible.
“But the new carriageway, if we have money, will be done on the rigid pavement. This is the reason. And so we have to agree with them. They have to make a promise before the Senate that they will mobilize on three sections doing exactly the same work.”