Contractors allege Umahi scheming, he laments lack of road projects in South East
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Works Minister David Umahi has reiterated commitment to making a positive change in road infrastructure, lamenting the lack of road projects, especially in the South East, but contractors accuse him of plotting to award jobs to his companies.
Umahi bared his mind at a meeting in Abuja with 46 contractors handling road projects in the South East and other contractors from the zone.
He pledged that under his watch, road construction, starting from design and actual construction, must meet required processes to be done right, as Nigerians are yearning for motorable roads.
“We will get it right; the time to do a good job is here. If you were doing a bad job before, this period is not for you. We must work 24 hours to do a good and acceptable construction that will last,” he counselled the contractors.
Umahi advocated for the use of concrete in road pavement because it is durable, affordable and lasts longer with little maintenance, but urged contractors to decide on whether to use asphalt or concrete.
He said the federal government will continue to use them but they will sign an undertaken that if the roads fail, they will bear the burden.
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Stick to FEC approvals, contractors tell Umahi
In turn, some contractors have implored Umahi to stick to contracts approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC), according to The Guardian.
A group of contractors led by Vitalis Chikwendu accused him of making deliberate attempts to frustrate the Renewed Hope Agenda of the new administration by stalling work through non-payment contract sums.
The contractors alleged Umahi has concluded plans to tamper with contracts already awarded by the FEC under the guise of review, whereas the motive is to re-award some contracts to himself or his cronies.
The contractors accused him of refusing to treat files, sidelining civil servants who have institutional memory.
They appealed to President Bola Tinubu to urgently redeploy Umahi because he has grounded activities in the ministry in his few months in office.
Chikwendu, who was flanked by other contractors, including representatives of their foreign counterparts, alleged Umahi has about 80 different companies, some of which he plans to use in executing projects after tampering with contracts.