From Isaac Anumihe, Abuja
The federal government has terminated the N35 billion contract for the Benin-Sapele-Warri highway project (Section 1: Benin-Imasabor), over alleged non-performance, with plans underway to refer the contractor to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for possible prosecution.
The project is being executed under the Road Infrastructure Development and Refurbishment Investment Tax Credit Scheme and handled by Levant Construction Limited.
Minister of Works, David Umahi, ordered the termination of the contract after a meeting in Abuja with the Chief Executives of GELD Construction Limited and SKECC Nigeria Limited over the delay in the execution of the project.
He expressed disapproval over the failure and/or neglect of Messrs Levant to live up to expectations in their contractual duties in respect of the section of the road awarded to them.
“We have three sections there. We have the Levant section. Unfortunately, Levant has not lived up to expectations. We even had to intervene and beg the Governor of Edo State to get the worst sections of that route done. We divided the worst sections into two and told Levant to concentrate on one part. While the Governor of Edo State intervened, which I think is about 23 kilometers for N35 billion, the governor’s section is going very well. Levant has since left site. We gave them a series of warning letters. We also gave them the last termination notice,” he said, in a statement.
According to him, when a termination notice is given, the contractor is expected to return to site within 14 days, but the company didn’t respond.
Consequently, the minister directed the Permanent Secretary to terminate the contract and write to their bank to request repayment of the advance payment guarantee (APG), failing which the matter would be taken to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
“When a termination notice is given to you, it is for you, within 14 days, to go back to the site and begin to do those things you were not doing. This time is for them to remobilise to the site and for them to work, but they did not respond,” he said.
“I, therefore, direct the Permanent Secretary to get the job properly terminated and write them a letter for a joint measurement, and also to write to their bank to request repayment of the APG, failing which the matter would be taken to the EFCC,” the statement further noted.
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