Ondo: We Are Committed To Turn Stone To Bread–Minister.
By Olusegun HOSEA, 31st October, 2024.
The Minister of works Engineer David Umahi has said that the Federal government is committed to turn stone to bread in terms of providing quality and durable works to Nigerians, particularly the good people of Ondo State. Disclosing this in a stakeholders meeting held at the Ondo State government Banquet hall in Akure.
The Minister said the era of collecting mobilisation fees by the contractors and abandoning projects had gone as the Ministry would no longer give money to any contractor that is not on site working. When speaking in the Town Hall meeting on the alignment of the Ondo State 63 km segment of Lagos-Calabar coastal Highway, the Minister said financial muscle of any construction company are among the reasons the Ministry are considering for awarding contract to the contractors. According to him, the moment a contract is being signed and awarded, the contractor is expected to move on with work on site, to continue doing the job as expected of him.
Umahi said the old fashion of the process of awarding contracts where the contractors would still be trying and be lobbying some of the offices after the contract had been awarded and probably later abandon the project has passed.
He explained that once the contract had been awarded and if the company that got the job didn’t perform action on the contract, the government would terminate such contract and re-award it to the company that could do the job. As the President had taught them on how to think outside the box in ensuring that Nigerians enjoy the dividend of Democracy.
He talked about the issue of Oyo-Ogbomosho that was inherited by the last Administration of Buhari and their government also, of which the project was terminated by their administration because of the poor circumstances surrounding the project which was latter abandoned.
He said a functional committee had been set up in respect of that project to go back to the maintainance of the existing old dualized road because the government had wasted a lot of resources on that project. He explained that this government had terminated one of that contract and that they are trying to re-award it to another company that would do the job.
Similarly, the Minister said he took responsibility for every failures and every road that was bad as well as every road that was ongoing and that is not going very well. He assured the people that they are not sleeping as they are ready to provide services to them. He said to the good people of Ondo State, the Oil producing state, the key state to the economy of our nation, that I bring greetings from His Excellency president Bola Ahmed Tinubu, your own son, has asked us to come for this very important investment”. He said the commitment of Mr President was not just for the construction of road for constructing sake, It’s an investment, it’s just like we are expanding the power base of the nation and people believe that for you to increase this power base may be from 6-10 MegaWart, every inch of the existing one must be working. He said this road project is an investment, the Lagos -Calabar road would now join the Edo State to Delta State for the purpose of facilitating good economy road for the good people of the state that would benefit from the huge project.
Umahi said the government would partner with the state government as they are going to acquire the land in the construction of the road project and that they would have tourism and factories included on the land that they are going to acquire which would include also the wind energy and estate, among other things.
While explaining, the Minister said the wind energy would power the corridors of the communities in the areas. The Minister eulogised Mr President for the good job he’s doing, according to him, he said Mr President is not just an ordinary man as he does wonderful things in ensuring that he moves the economy of the country forward. As he was of the opinion that the abandoned project inherited by his administration must be revisited by them for the betterment of Nigerians.
Speaking, the Minister re-emphasized that the procurement law said that it’s not compulsory for the client to pay the mobilisation fees for the contractor to begin their work. He said the law says that before you are paid mobilisation fees the contractor must be on site for work. He said if any contractor who had been awarded project in Ondo State is not on site doing their jobs, the Minister said such contract would be terminated. He directed the Controller of works in the State to fix all the Federal roads in the state within a short period of time before December, 2024. He said any Controller or Directors that fails to do that, he said that the PS knows what to do to them.
Ayetoro community
He also assured the people of Ayetoro community for better development of their community as the government would trying to solve the problem of the sea Incursion affecting the community. He said their light has come in Ayetoro community which was founded in 1947, had done extremely well in terms of their good industrial development to the state. He said the government is committed to restore that community. He said he would be coming back to the state after the Ondo election to design the model of the project for the community after the election.
Governor Lucky Orimisan Ayedatiwa Response
In his response, Governor Lucky Orimisan Ayedatiwa thanked the Minister and the President for the meeting. The Governor said the project is going to be of huge benefits to the people of Ondo State, He thanked Mr President for his economy support granted to the State. He also thanked the Minister of works – Engr. David Umahi and other stakeholders present for the meeting held in his state. The governor said the communities in the coastal areas would not be left out of the good benefits the project would brought.
