The Presidency has expressed dissatisfaction with the slow pace of work on the Abuja–Abaji–Kotonkarfi and Lokoja–Benin expressways, describing the conduct of the contractors as unacceptable and unsatisfactory.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Community Engagement for the North-Central Region, Dr. Abiodun Easiet, who represented President Bola Ahmed Tinubu during the Ministry of Works’ inspection tour of the projects on Monday, warned contractors against making excuses about inadequate funding, noting that the contracts were awarded based on their assurances of capacity to deliver once advance payments were received.
The Minister of Works, Engr. Dave Umahi, who was represented by ministry officials, including the Federal Controller of Works in Kogi State, Engr. Patiko Musa, assured that the ministry would address complaints of poor funding and delayed delivery of equipment raised by the contractors, adding that decisions would be taken immediately.
Earlier, the contractors took turns offering explanations for delays — excuses that had previously triggered the termination of about four road contracts by the Minister of Works on the same Abuja–Lokoja corridor.
During the inspection, it was observed that contractors had displayed nonchalant attitudes, with timelines clearly at risk of being missed, as admitted by the contractors on site.
The project manager of CGC Nigeria Limited handling the expansion of the Lokoja–Benin Road, Abubakar Yaba, blamed inadequate and poor funding for the slow pace of work, despite earlier assurances that the project would be completed within the stipulated timeline.
Addressing the inspection team, Yaba said the project had reached only 38 per cent completion with about 90 per cent of the contract time already elapsed.
According to him, ₦59 billion was approved and ₦54 billion released, leaving a balance of ₦4 billion.
He explained that that “the commencement date is December 2012. Phase two commencement date is October 2014, the augmentation number commencement date is 4th of July, 2024.
“Then advancement payment granted is ₦16.7 billion. The advance payment received is ₦2.8 billion. The amount certified to date ₦59.6 billion. The amount paid to date is ₦54.8 billion. Then amount outstanding up to date is ₦4.7 billion.
“Then our challenge on the project is budget provision on 2025. There is no provision on this project in 2025 up to date, we still have this challenge and a challenge of outstanding.”
His remarks triggered a sharp response from a Presidency official, who said: “I think one of the things we look out at when we give projects to contractors is about your capacity and Mr President assured that Renewed Hope Intervention Fund will be channelled to pay these funds. So it’s about you as a contractor to go ahead and finish your job as agreed.
“Because if you mentioned that you didn’t have financial capacity to do this, they wouldn’t have awarded that contract to you. It is because you assured us that you are going to finish this job.
“Mr President assured that Renewed Hope Fund will be also channeled to pay for all these, so that shouldn’t be a delay. So, whatever you can mop up funds I can assure you that Mr President is going to pay.
“Wherever you can mop up funds, mop up funds because this project is very critical. People are waiting for the completion of this project to ease movement.
“So please, we don’t want to come back the next time and be saying this. We have assured you of Mr President’s commitment and also the Minister of Works is also committed. But show us what you are made of. Show us your capacity that you can finish this road.”
The contractor handling Section Two of the Abuja–Lokoja road, a 47.862-kilometre stretch awarded at ₦89.8 billion, admitted achieving only eight kilometres of work so far.
The engineering representative, Engr. Zira Adamu, said only 10.21 per cent completion had been recorded, with a time lapse of 66.67 per cent and ₦18.1 billion already paid.
Project manager Francesco Rizzo also admitted the poor progress, saying: “We are at eight kilometres of rigid pavement. Then stabilization, we are at nine kilometres with stabilization done.
“But we don’t have access to our trucks to put concrete. We only have 33 point something to complete but as for the work completion, it is only 10 point something and our target is to finish in 2026 September.
“We have ordered for equipment from UK. We don’t buy equipment because it is not available. It is a delay but we need to wait for two months, it is not our fault, it is logistics fault.”
It was observed that there was no equipment on site to guarantee speedy work across the projects inspected.
An ad-hoc worker, who declined to be named, told The Guardian: “Let me tell you sir, these people will pack this one mixer you are seeing here and leave the site as soon as you people leave. The machine is not even their own, look at the name on the body of the vehicle, they are not serious about the work.
“Even as you people are here, is it not one equipment that is here, just the mixer? How can you undertake such a contract when you do not have the equipment?
“This one they are doing here is just eye service. They will all close and that is what has been happening over the decades. Sometimes we wonder if this Abuja–Lokoja road is cursed.
“As you can see nothing is happening here and the ministry is just indulging them. I am a graduate of physics and I was contacted this morning if I want to come and do labourer work and that is why I am here. But I tell you that from tomorrow you will not see anybody here.”
