The Minister of Works, David Umahi, has announced that the federal government will no longer award contracts worth less than ₦20 billion to foreign contractors. This decision was made during his inspection of the ongoing dualization project of the East-West Road (Section IIIA) from Eleme Junction, Port Harcourt, to Onne Junction in Rivers State.
Umahi emphasized that the move aims to promote the Nigeria First policy, ensuring that local contractors are prioritized for such projects.
He further explained that the Federal Ministry of Works is implementing a funding prioritization strategy for tax credit projects taken over from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) across the country. The Minister assured that both local and foreign contractors’ projects will be closely monitored for quality delivery, as reported by Naija News.
“We are inspecting projects of the 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,” Umahi stated.
He added that work has commenced on the second carriageway, which includes bridges and flyovers. “This is part of the NNPC Tax Credit that has been stopped in terms of funding by NNPC. However, we have compiled all the NNPC inherited Tax Credit projects, and we presented them as the Ministry of Works to Mr. President. He has graciously directed that none of such works should stop now,” he noted.
Umahi also highlighted issues he observed in various projects across Rivers State and the six geopolitical zones, where contractors often leave the binder course of asphalt unprotected, leading to potential road failures. He directed that any binder left exposed for more than two months would require a reevaluation and removal.
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