THE federal government has terminated the contract awarded to Dantata & Sawoe Ltd for Section 1 of the Kano-Maiduguri Road project, citing delay.
The Minister of Works, David Umahi, in a statement issued by his special adviser on Media, Uchenna Orji, on Saturday, August 10, said the termination of the contract was due to the expiration of its time frame.
The minister further noted that the President Bola Tinubu-led government would ensure that people awarded contract for any project always take responsibility, adding that the termination was as a result of the project evaluation by the ministry.
“My position as the Minister of Works is that everybody must take responsibility. We will no longer fold our hands and allow the projects we have awarded and even reviewed to continue to linger. Nigerians are suffering on these roads, and President Ahmed Bola Tinubu (GCFR) is doing everything possible, giving the road sector special attention.
“The termination of the contract for Section 1 follows a series of evaluations and reviews by the Ministry of Works, which has been actively monitoring the progress of various road projects under its jurisdiction,” the statement read in parts.
He added that he had directed technicians to look into the Kano-Maiduguri road and see how its work could be fast-tracked..
“The Kano-Maiduguri road is a critical artery in Nigeria’s transport network, linking major cities in the north, and any delays in its completion have significant economic and social repercussions.
“I am directing the Director of Highway Rehabilitation to liaise with the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Works to immediately deploy some technical personnel to evaluate what can be done over there,” he added.
The minister vowed the the government would hold the original contractor, Mothercare Ltd, accountable for the failure of the road to withstand flood in the Bauchi State section of the road, despite its completion within the area.
The ICIR reports that in 2023, President Bola Tinubu inherited over six trillion in debts from road projects not completed by his predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari.
An investigation by The ICIR revealed how the Senate slashed or completely removed huge funds meant for road construction in the 2022 supplementary budget while reviewing the budget under its present leadership, headed by Godswill Akpabio.