The Federal Government on Thursday moved to calm tensions among road contractors, assuring that all outstanding payments will be cleared before December 20, following protests over mounting debts and stalled project financing.
Minister of Works, David Umahi, gave the assurance during the reopening of the repaired Keffi Flyover in Nasarawa State, revealing that President Bola Tinubu had acknowledged the backlog of payments and approved the constitution of a special committee to verify and settle all verified claims.
“Please, there should be no more protests. You will be paid; Mr President has assured that you’ll be paid like the intervention we made on Maraba–Keffi,” Umahi said.
“I know that two of the contractors have not been paid. But the president is away, and efforts have been made, and before the 20th of December, you’ll be paid.”
He added that some contractors on the Maraba–Keffi axis, including China Harbour Engineering Company, were among those yet to be paid but would be captured in the upcoming disbursement.
In an unprecedented move, Umahi disclosed that the Ministry had formally invited the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to audit all ongoing and completed federal road projects across the 36 states and the FCT.
“We have submitted all the projects of Mr President and the Ministry of Works from the day I assumed office. We asked ICPC and EFCC to verify all projects across the states. This is the first of its kind,” Umahi said.
“We are very transparent in what we are doing under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and we are introducing an online platform for citizens to track project progress in real time.”
During the formal reopening of the Keffi Flyover, which collapsed on July 4 after being damaged by a truck carrying an excavator, Umahi praised the swift response of the President, noting that emergency funds were released within 24 hours.
“Within 24 hours of briefing him, Mr President released the money for this bridge. It’s unprecedented,” the Minister said.
The repaired flyover—an essential link between Abuja and Nasarawa—underwent reconstruction of its beam, parapet, and walkway, and had a new gantry crash-prevention system installed. Technical officials confirmed the structure is now safe for public use.
Umahi also defended the pace of work on the Abuja–Kano Road, describing recent public criticism as unfair. He explained that the original contract design was flawed and modified to include full concrete shoulders, noting that sections covering over 44 kilometres have been completed with available funding.
Sections one and three of the project now have about eight kilometres of completed concrete pavement, while a solar-lit 12-kilometre extension around Kano is nearing completion.
“We are committed to quality and transparency. Stringent monitoring, concrete pavement technology, and tolling reforms will help Nigeria achieve durable roads and better cost efficiency,” Umahi said.
“The government is implementing a rigorous defect-liability regime, maintaining a 2.5 per cent retention fee until contractors demonstrate full compliance.”
Leave a comment