Niger State government says it has put in place monitoring mechanisms to ensure strict compliance with the various contracts, and also warned contractors handling the state projects that it will not accept or pay for any shoddy jobs executed.

The Permanent Secretary of the Niger State Ministry of Works and Infrastructure, Alhaji Hassan Baba Etsu, issued the warning while speaking to newsmen in Minna.

Etsu maintained that all the state projects being executed are designed to stand the test of time and serve the various communities satisfactorily.

He highlighted that the state government is currently constructing 556 kilometres of roads across the 25 local government areas and also embarking on urban renewal projects in Minna, Bida, Suleja, and Kontagora towns.

Hassan added, “The state government under the dynamic leadership of Umaru Bago has zero tolerance for poor quality jobs,” saying that the ministry has experienced engineers on sites to monitor as well as ensure the execution of all state projects.

The permanent secretary hinted that the government is embarking on rapid infrastructural development across the state to address the infrastructural deficit inherited from previous administrations.

He said the present administration met a state with an acute Infrastructural deficit, adding that the government is “doing everything possible to address these lapses so we will not allow any contractor to draw back the hands of the clock.”

He, however, dispelled claims that the shortage of funds is hindering the completion of many projects, stressing that the government cannot execute these types of projects without funding. He added that the inactivity observed on some sites was due to the contractors being on holiday.

“The contractors have started returning to sites, by the end of November, most of them will have returned and work will recommence 100 per cent,” Etsu promised.

Alhaji Hassan Etsu had frowned upon reckless driving by some truck drivers, which has resulted in accidents claiming innocent lives, revealing that the ministry is already embarking on training the drivers, and advised the people to be careful while passing through the roads.

“We have appointed ‘safety committees’ for all our project sites and anyone caught violating the regulations put in place will be prosecuted,” he warned