OSHOGBO- ILESHA – (Federal Ministry of Power, Works & Housing Report) – The Minister of State II for Power, Works & Housing, Suleiman Hassan Zarma has urged indigenous contractors handling Federal Government projects to up their game by improving on their pace of work, in order to deliver their projects on schedule. He said Government has much confidence on indigenous contractors and disclosed that the present administration is determined to encourage and promote indigenous contractors.
The Minister who is presently on inspection tour of the ministry’s projects in the South-West Zone expressed displeasure over the slow pace of work at the 27.6Km Oshogbo- Ilesha Road, Section 1 handled by Messers Horizon Construction Limited. He described as appalling the situation where a 27Km road rehabilitation project awarded since 2010 has exceeded its completion date by 104 per cent in 2018. He decried that if it takes them eight years to rehabilitate a road, then it will take them many years longer to build one.
Zarma challenged the contractor to prove his capacity to deliver the job and stop giving excuses for the delay. He said, ‘government gave you the job with the assurance that you can deliver. You have asked for extension after a long delay, and your request is not approved. Therefore, you have to mobilize every resource to meet up the extended October 2018 completion date.”
In another development, the Governor of Osun State, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has commended the Federal Government for the massive execution and monitoring of its infrastructure projects across the nation, particularly roads, housing and power.
Speaking during a courtesy visit by the Minister, the Governor who was represented by his Deputy, Grace Titilayo Tomori said that the Minister’s inspection of on-going projects in the state and across the nation gives credence to the commitment of the present administration to deliver basic infrastructure to the people. “Your visit to the state has confirmed the seriousness which the Federal Government attaches to road construction in the state and the nation at large,” she said.
She further applauded the Minister for undertaking the tour by road to see things for himself and ensured that the contractors are working. The Deputy Governor disclosed that the state was also complimenting the Federal Government’s effort by constructing over a 1000km of roads across the state. According to her, the State Governor was well known to be a constructor of roads.
Briefing the Minister at the Oshogbo – Ilesha road inspection, the Federal Controller of Works, Omorekpe Njoku (Engr) said that the contract was awarded in 2010 at a sum of N2.69bn, but was later reviewed to N2.88bn to accommodate the drainage works on the road. He affirmed that the contractor has been indeed slow in the delivery of the project.
On his part, the Contractor, Messers Horizon Construction explained that the reason for the prolonged delay in the completion of the project was due to the non – budgetary appropriation for the project by past administrations for about three years which caused them to stop working over a time. He however commended the present administration for having included the project in its appropriation from last year and promised to mobilize fully to meet the completion deadline.
