President Bola Tinubu’s administration has terminated the Obajana-Benin Road contracts with three companies, citing non-performance by the firms.
The government ended contract numbers 6136, 6137 and 6138 with Mothercat Ltd, Dantata & Sawoe Construction Ltd and RCC Ltd, respectively.
In a statement made on Monday, the Federal Ministry of Works specified that the affected projects include the dualisation of Obajana-Benin Road, Section II (Okene-Auchi) in Kogi/Edo States, Section III (Auchi-Ehor) in Edo State, and Section IV (Ehor-Benin) also in Edo State.
The Minister of Works, Engr. Dave Umahi, explained that the terminations were important due to unnecessary delays and the contractors’ failure to meet their obligations as per the Standard Conditions of Contract.
These delays have led to the expiration of the contracts and have caused considerable hardship for road users due to the poor state of the roads.
The statement which was signed by the minister’s spokesman, Uchenna Orji, noted that the projects were awarded on December 3, 2012, but have been abandoned by the contractors without any genuine effort to complete them.
This neglect has worsen the deplorable conditions of the roads, causing difficulties for commuters.
Minister Umahi directed the engineers in charge to take over the sites and conduct joint measurements of the work completed so far.
He stressed that the ministry will not tolerate any form of unseriousness or sabotage from contractors and will terminate any non-performing projects that are adequately funded.
The government’s firm stance aims to ensure that infrastructure projects are completed efficiently and on time, avoiding any further delays that hinder the nation’s progress.