NEWS Beep: FG to Consider All Contracts Worth Less than ₦20 billion to be Awarded to Local Contractors….details

….to promote the Nigeria First policy.

The Federal Ministry of Works is implementing a funding prioritization strategy for tax credit projects taken over from NNPCL across the country. In line with the Nigeria First policy, it has been stated that all contracts worth less than ₦20 billion will be awarded to local contractors.

During an inspection visit to the ongoing dualization project of the East-West Road (Section IIIA) from Eleme Junction, Port Harcourt to Onne Junction in Rivers State, which is being managed by Messrs RCC Nig Ltd, the Minister of Works, David Umahi, shared this.

He said, “We are inspecting projects of federal government in Rivers State, and this particular one is the dualization of Eleme Junction to Onne Port Junction by RCC. Recall that one carriageway was completed and commissioned, even though there are a few things we ordered afresh like the retaining wall and hanging drainage.

“For the second carriageway with some bridges and flyovers, work has started on it. Let me say that this is part of the NNPC Tax Credit that has been stopped in terms of funding by NNPC.

“But graciously, we have compiled all the NNPC inherited Tax Credit projects, and we presented as Ministry of Works to Mr. President. And Mr. President has graciously directed that none of such works should stop now. However, as Ministry, we are going to do prioritization of the projects and look at the most critical of these projects within the national economic corridor like this one. And we are going to put it forward for immediate funding because the President directed that none of such projects should stop now.

“I have also noticed in some of the projects in Rivers State, and same with the Six Geo-Political zones, that contractors go ahead to put stone base and put binder course of asphalt, sometimes over 20 kilometres and leave the binder unprotected without putting wearing course.

“The binder is like a reinforcement to the road architecture. The wearing is the sealant that doesn’t allow water to go beyond the surface. And so when you now put stone base, which has dust as designed, and you put binder, which is like a reinforcement, and you see that the composition of the binder asphalt has bigger stones, and it has holes, so the water penetrates.

“The moment it gets to the stone base, which has some dust, the road fails. It may technically look safe, but with time, it will definitely fail. And we’ve seen it in a number of roads we inspected. And what I’ve directed the Controller to do, and it’s going to be nationwide, is that when you are putting binder and you have left it for more than two months, we are going to redo the certificate and remove all the binder and remove the stone base.”