The Minister of Works, David Umahi, has ordered the termination of the contract with Levant Construction Limited handling the reconstruction of the Benin-Sapele-Warri Road, being executed under the Road Infrastructure Development and Refurbishment Investment Tax Credit Scheme, due to non-performance.

Umahi stated this in Abuja after meeting with the chief executives of GELD Construction Ltd and SKECC Nigeria Ltd over the delay in the execution of the project, expressing disapproval over the failure or neglect of Messrs Levant to live up to expectations in the contractual duties of the section awarded to them.

He stated: “We have three sections there. We have the Levant section. Unfortunately, Levant has not lived up to expectations. We even had to intervene and beg the Governor of Edo State, Monday Okpebholo, to get the worst sections of that route done. We divided the worst sections into two and told Levant to concentrate on one part.

“When the governor intervened, I think about 23 kilometres for N35 billion, that section is ongoing very well, Levant has since left the site. We gave them a series of warning letters. We also gave them the last termination notice.

“When a termination notice is given to you, it is for you, within 14 days, to go back to the site and begin to do those things you were not doing. This time is for them to remobilise to the site and work, but they did not respond.”

He directed the Permanent Secretary to get the job properly terminated and write them a letter for a joint measurement, and also to write to their bank to request repayment of the APG, failing which the matter would be taken to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The minister, however, expressed satisfaction with the outcome of the discussion with SKECC Nigeria Ltd and Geld Construction Ltd over the need for them to step up work on the respective sections of the road project being handled by them.