The Minister of Works, Sen. David Umahi, has stated that the federal government will no longer give new road contracts to contractors currently working on more than four projects.
The minister, during a meeting with contractors handling federal roads across the six geo-political zones in the country, in Abuja, said this was to enable them to concentrate and complete the projects they are working on before bidding for new ones.
Umahi said, “Henceforth, any company that has four projects with the Ministry of Works will not get another project until it finishes the one awarded.
“Mr President just approved 60 projects and we will start the designing and the profiling. So, if you can finish your jobs quickly, you will be part of the bidding but if you can’t finish your job, you can’t bid and we won’t differentiate between expatriate and local contractors.
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“The house must submit to the new policy of the Federal Ministry of Works.”
He also gave contractors who have been awarded contracts to mobilize to site within 14 days or risk losing such contracts to local competitors.
While warning expatriate companies to stop cheating Nigeria in road completion, he said the Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led administration has zero tolerance for contractors cheating taxpayers.
“You contractors cheat us on the thickness of asphalt. The bitumen imported is of bad quality and then you start putting an enhancer and modifier. We don’t want that again, there is no such thing overseas. Use the type of asphalt used abroad.
“I believe I have called enough meetings on this issue and we must move forward. Let me advise contractors that are meeting and have ganged up.
“We have learnt that some of you want to sabotage me to prove that concrete is not good. That is a lie, concrete is very good,” he stated.
He said the policy has been set in motion and would only stop when he is removed from office by the president.