By Emmanuella Oghenetega
In a meeting with the Minister of Works, Engr. David Umahi, the Directors of Highways, in charge of Construction and Rehabilitation, and that of the North Central Zone, and others; some ongoing critical road contracts in Kogi State, have been reviewed, terminated, and are to be re-awarded.
The decisions mutually reached were borne out of Mr. President’s desire to ease the suffering of road users and get value for funds paid on the prolonged contracts viewed against nonperformance.
The Minister, through the Director of Information and Public Relations, Mohammed A. Ahmed, issued the following directives on some sections of the Abuja-Lokoja, Lokoja–Shintaku–Dekina, and Okene–Ajaokuta Roads in Kogi State;
1. Contract No. 8493 – Provision of Culverts and Drains at a Flood-Prone Area on Abuja–Lokoja Road (Section 2: CH.13+000 – CH.16+000)
Contractor: Messrs. Sadogi (Nigeria) Limited
Award Date: 4th April, 2024
Progress: 39.04% completed with 112.88% time elapsed
Directives:
i. Mutual termination of the contract based on effluxion of time.
ii. Contractor to continue only within the limit of the advance payment received, after which the final determination of the account will be carried out.
2. Contract No. 8476 – Rehabilitation of Abuja–Lokoja Road, Section 4A (CH.23+400 – CH.26+400 RHS)
Contractor: Messrs. Venus Construction (Nigeria) Ltd.
Award Date: 13th July, 2024
Progress: 33.79% completed with 131.15% time elapsed
Directives:
i. Mutual termination of the contract based on effluxion of time and
ii. Contractor to proceed only within the limit of advance payment received, with final determination of account to follow.
3. Contract No. 8490 – Rehabilitation of Abuja–Lokoja Road, Section IVB (Flooded Section CH.23+400 – CH.26+395 LHS)
Contractor: Messrs. Sailthrough Engineering Services Ltd
Directive:
The Minister directs the contractor to submit a letter of commitment to complete the project on or before 20th December, 2025. The contractor has complied, despite outstanding payments from the Ministry.
4. Contract No. 7648 – Reconstruction of Okene–Ajaokuta–Itobe Road
Contractor: Messrs. CCECC (Nigeria) Ltd
Award Date: 18th November, 2022
Progress: 2.02% completed with 146.92% time elapsed
Directives:
i. Mutual termination of the contract based on effluxion of time,
ii. Contractor to work only within the limit of the advance payment received until the final determination of the account is concluded and
iii. Mutual termination of Supervisory Consultancy Services due to lack of funding.
5. Contract No. 7239 – Rehabilitation of Lokoja–Shintaku–Dekina–Ayingba Road
Contractor: TEC Engineering Company (Nigeria) Ltd.
Award Date: 3rd February, 2022
Progress: 1.04% completed with 188.77% time elapsed
Directives:
i. Mutual termination of the contract based on effluxion of time,
ii. Contractor to work only within the limit of the advance payment received pending final determination of the account and
iii. Mutual termination of Supervisory Consultancy Services due to lack of funding.
6. Contract No. 7333 – Reconstruction and Completion Works on Abuja–Lokoja Dualization, Section III (Abaji – Koton Karfe, CH.82+000 – CH.131+362)
Contractor: Messrs. Geld/Triacta (Nigeria) Limited (JV)
Award Date: 7th March, 2022
Progress: 16.71% completed with 125% time elapsed
Directives:
i. Contractor must resume work on the bad sections of the road within seven (7) days and
ii. Reinstate shoulders to the stone-base level and patch potholes to ensure free flow of traffic during construction and
7. Contract No. 8552 – Rehabilitation of Koton Karfe–Abaji Road (47.862km, Abuja Bound)
Contractor: Trucrete Solutions Limited
Award Date: 22nd May, 2024
Progress: 40% completed with 58.33% time elapsed
The project—being executed with Concrete Rigid Pavement (CRCP)—is progressing steadily and is on course for timely completion.
Emergency Intervention on the Abuja–Lokoja Corridor:
The Honourable Minister also directs that all outstanding works, including those from mutually terminated contracts across the Abuja–Lokoja corridor, be compiled for immediate emergency intervention.
In another vein, Engr. Umahi commended Messrs. JRB Construction (Nigeria) Limited, an indigenous company, for good performance on Section I of the Abuja–Lokoja Road, and directs that the project be completed before 10th December, 2025.
He expressed profound appreciation to the President for his continued support and interventions on the Abuja–Lokoja Road, covering a total stretch of 358km (179km × 2).
The Minister also appealed for the patience of all road users along the Abuja–Lokoja Expressway as multiple intervention projects progress simultaneously, assuring the public that relief is on the way and works will be completed soon.
