By Ayoni M. Agbabiaka
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mohammed Musa Bello, has pass a vote of no confidence on the contractor handling the Apo/Karshi-Ara road while inspecting the alternative route meant to ease traffic congestion at the popular Nyanya-Maraba.
At the inspection, the Minister discovered that the 13.2-kilometre road said to have reached 60 per cent completion rate was not true.
The Minister said it was a shock to see the whole road in a disarray without any engineering design while the Administration had lots of competent engineers at the FCDA.
He expressed his displeasure saying although it is the policy of the government to encourage local contractors but if this is how it works then it’s not worth it awarding contracts to indigenous contractors. He said the Administration will pay the contractor on the conditions that he is willing to work or he should back out from the projects so that those willing to work will handle it.
He said: “If this is what indigenous contractors is all about, I think it is better to employ the service of foreign contractors to handle our projects.
“What I saw is a big disappointment to all of us. I simply cannot understand how this road took four good years without making any head way.
I learnt that this road construction contract was awarded to a contractor that is not willing to do the job. How can he say he is constructing a road from Apo to Karshi without linking the road for the past four years with all the money paid so far, it is a big embarrassment to us all.”
On his part, the Executive Secretary, FCDA, Engr. Ismail Hassan, said the project was not directly awarded by the Federal Capital Development Agency, but was awarded under the defunct Satellites Town Agency.
He said: “When I went through the contract, I was surprised that there was no structural design, I mobilised some team of expert to come up with road design, the contractor has been complaining of low price.”
In his response, the Executive Director of Kakatar’C Limited, Azibaola Robbort, said the project suffered some set back as a result of nonpayment by the authorities to continue with the work.
He said the project was bidded for at a very low rates and some part of the road project was not included in bid such as blasting of the rocks, but urged the Minister to help to re-validate the entire road project.
The Karshi/Ara road was awarded in 2011 at the cost of N6.4billion, out of which N2.3 billion was paid to the contractor, Kakatar’C Limited.
