Senate Committee Chairman on Works, Barinada Mpigi, has disclosed that no fewer than 39 mobilised Federal Government contractors would be prosecuted over refusal to move to sites.
Speaking on Thursday at the “stakeholders engagement on the alignment for the 125km Niger state and 188 km Kwara segments of the 1000km Sokoto-Badagry super highway,” Senator Mpigi said the Senate has decided to invite erring contractors for questioning on why they refused to move to sites after being mobilised.
He said: “The Senate frowns at the action of the contractors. We urge the works minister to terminate the contract of non-performing contractors, we are solidly behind the minister.”
Speaking in the same vein, the minister of Works, Sen. David Umahi, hinted that 18 contractors with 260 projects had not reported to sites.
“We will revoke the contract of any of the contractors who have received mobilization fees and are not on site. We will use the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to recover our funds from such contractor,” he assured.
Umahi said that the Federal Government has 18 projects in Kwara States, adding that 10 of them are not being attended to by the contractors.
According to him, six of the 10 would be reviewed for performance, stressing that four of the projects would be completed and delivered in the first quarter of 2025.
“We encourage our governors to buy into the super highway project. With the support of the governors, President Bola Tinubu will deliver these projects to Nigerians.
“It is through infrastructural projects that we can bail this nation out of recession and poverty.
“The super highway will have six-lane carriageways and train tracks by their sides,” he said.
In his remarks, Governor AbdulRazaq of Kwara State, who was represented by his deputy, Kayode Alabi, assured the minister the state supports President Tinubu’s infrastructure drive toward reviving the economy.
Also, his Niger State counterpart, Umar Bago, said the president had made the dream of a new Nigeria possible, urging the affected communities not to demand compensation for the exercise.
He said: “Government is not interested in grabbing your land, it is merely bringing development to your doorsteps,” he added.