Wike opposes iterations of the cost of the Ushafa-Bwari road project

The contract amount modifications for the Ushafa-Bwari Road project have been denied by Mr. Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

After touring the project sites with Dr. Mariya Mahmoud, Minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory, and other government representatives on Thursday in Abuja, Wike made his disapproval known to the media.

He called the project’s ongoing contract cost fluctuation “very embarrassing” and declared, “This is not what we are going to take.”

“The contract was given out in 2017 for N20 billion. The contract was changed to N50 billion in 2020. They have paid roughly N50 billion as I speak to you, leaving about N900 million in debt.

“Now they are informing us that the N900 million is insufficient to finish the job, which they claimed was 90% complete.

“Therefore, we won’t accept your request for a different variety. We’re going to restructure the system, including the engineering services, he stated.

The Minister noted that it was “worrisome” how the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) handled so many variances in contract amounts.

“I have never in my life witnessed something like this. I will not accept the FCDA contract variations that range from N10 billion to N119 billion and from N50 billion to N200 billion that we see.

Wike, who also went to see how the Lower Usuma Dam Water Works on Gurara Road in Bwari was being renovated, also voiced his discontent with the way the water project had been handled.

When the minister arrived at the project site, he discovered that the project had not been completely granted, despite being told that it had been given as an emergency contract.

He claimed that he had just learned that the contractor had only been handed a letter of intent in August 2022.

“I was aware of the significance of this project in providing water to our citizens in the city and its surroundings. Water is highly vital, thus I’ve ordered that the project’s status be changed from emergency to ongoing.

The project would be re-awarded, according to Wike, who also said that his office would oversee the procurement procedure and invite additional businesses to submit bids for the work.

Regarding abandoned projects, the minister stated that more than ten contracts had been chosen and approved for completion, and he added that contracts had been reached with the contractors.

He claimed that the Director of Treasury had been instructed to ensure that all paperwork that had been authorised since the previous week were sent to Mr. Shehu Hadi, FCDA’s Executive Secretary.

He continued by saying that he has ordered that all contractor payments be made no later than Friday.

He added that each contractor would receive a specific sum of money each month based on the agreed-upon project completion period, based on the tagging of each project to Internally Generated Revenue.

“We made arrangements with some businesses to complete the projects in six months and others in fifteen months.

“In fact, like the Millennium Tower, the contractors have pledged to complete it in two years, and we are paying them N3 billion each month to do so.

The majority of the roads in Garki, Maitama, and Wuse will be resurfaced starting on Monday, according to the minister, who lamented the state of the roads in those areas.