The Federal Government has expressed dissatisfaction with the quality of work being done by Wizchino Engineering Limited on the Keffi-Nasarawa-Toto-Abaji road in Nasarawa State.
The FG also lamented the slow pace of the construction works despite releasing funds to the contractor to ensure smooth progress of the job till completion.
Speaking with journalists on Friday shortly after an inspection visit to ongoing Federal Government roads across Nasarawa State, the Federal Controller of Works in the state, Ishaku Mamri, noted that despite several efforts to make the contractor work according to specifications, they were still not giving the needed cooperation.
Mamri explained that the road construction agenda of the Federal Ministry of Works is to ensure that all roads constructed are durable enough to serve Nigerians for many years.
He said, “To be honest, this set of contractors, I’m disappointed in them. The work is not done the way it is supposed to be done. When I give them a letter on what to do, they will not do it; they will do what they feel like doing. And I told them that this is not a banana republic.
“This is not our specifications. The ministry has laid down procedures for getting our work done, so you can’t do it anyhow. I had to explain the matter to my Director, that I don’t like the way they are doing this. We invited them for a meeting at the headquarters, where they agreed that they were going to improve. But on coming back here, I have not seen any changes.”
On his part, the Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Nasarawa State Council, Salihu Alkali, called on the Minister of Works, David Umahi, to revoke the contract awarded to Wizchino Engineering Limited over poor quality of work, slow pace of work, and substandard equipment, among others.
Alkali, who was visibly displeased by the slow pace of work and unprofessional handling of the road construction, urged the FG to revoke the contract in the shortest possible time and re-award it to a more competent contractor.
“This is a disservice to Nasarawa State and the Federal Government. Can you imagine using watering cans to pour bitumen on the road? Government spending should be accounted for,” he said.
Also speaking, the Nasarawa State Commissioner for Works, Housing and Transport, Mu’azu Adamu Gosho, said the road is of particular interest to the government and the people of Nasarawa State, noting that they are eager to witness its completion in record time.
He, however, frowned at the slow pace of work and other factors which indicate that the construction is not being done according to specifications.
“This contractor appears to be too slow in handling the job. He needs to put up more effort so that a larger portion will be concluded before the next rainy season.
“The rainy season is just around the corner and the bad sections of the road are ahead. Until now, there is no hope that we will see something done to address the problem we have been experiencing in previous years. So we are hoping that the right thing will be done,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Federal Ministry of Works has pledged to complete the ongoing 15-kilometre Lafia bypass stretching to Makurdi, which leads to the south-eastern region of the country, and lauded the speedy pace of the work and its quality.
The government believes that the road would ease chronic traffic congestion through the Lafia metropolis.
Mamri told journalists that the road project, which was initially awarded with a completion period of 48 months, is already at 92.6 per cent completion, noting that it would be ready for commuters by the end of March 2026.
He observed that the project had undergone a series of engineering integrity assessments by professional regulatory institutions, and commended the Minister of Works, David Umahi, for his commitment to quality and speedy completion of ongoing works across the nation.
Our correspondent further reports that during the inspection tour, the team visited Kwarra community, a rural area in Keana Local Government Area of Nasarawa State, in connection with a 6.4-kilometre road project awarded in 2022 during the previous administration.
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