The Federal Government has given a lifeline of N470 billion to Julius Berger Nigeria Plc to fast-track the construction and completion of the Bodo – Bonny road with bridges across the Opobo Channel, Route 430 in Rivers State for speedy project delivery.
Minister of Works, David Umahi, made this known during a meeting with Julius Berger (Nig.) Plc, represented by its Executive Director, Projects, Engr. Benjamin Bott, and the Head of Contract Management, Omonigho Brown, at the Ministry’s headquarters in Abuja.
Umahi also said, “Then we have section II, which is 82 kilometers by two, which is the section that JBN Plc is working on. The Federal Executive Council approved the total contract sum within the scope, meaning that we paid N391 billion already, and N340 billion for the completion of 164 kilometers.”
He argued that contract No. 6350 and the revised estimated total cost and augmentation of the contract for the construction of the Bodo-Bonny road with bridges across the Opobo channel, route 430, tasking the contractors handling the projects on the need for corporate nationalism in price in the face of the economic challenges in Nigeria.
The Works Minister urged the contractor handling the four sections of the Abuja – Zaria – Kaduna – Kano project mobilise resources to finish the job within 14 months, saying the prices given on the said projects were the best given the economic reality.
“So we are appealing to contractors not to try to increase the contract sum, because it will not be possible. And we have written to the President to approve that if JBN Plc does not accept the N740 billion, we will terminate the contract. We have terminated some of their jobs because we’ve been negotiating sometimes 12 months, 13 months,” he said.
“We are ready to pay you (JBN Plc) even fresh mobilisation, just to underscore the interest of the President on this project. So we are appealing and begging you that by Monday, you should be able to sign the addendum to the contract.”
On the Bodo-Bonny project, he said, “We don’t think we have any issue. We’ve agreed on the N280 billion, which is the new contract sum that is fixed, and then for a 12-month completion period; that is an additional 12 months. So we want you to mobilize in a minimum of three locations.”
