The Minister of Works, David Umahi, has issued a fresh warning notice to construction giant, Julius Berger, China Civil Engineering and Construction Company, and the Raynolds Construction Company to mobilise to the Calabar-Itu site or risk termination of their contracts.
He also disclosed that President Bola Tinubu will flag off the construction of the Cross River and Akwa Ibom section of the Lagos Calabar Coastal Highway in August, this year.
Umahi stated these while he spoke at the Stakeholders’ Engagement on Alignment of 3b and 4 of the Lagos Calabar Coastal Highway held at Ibom Hall, Uyo Akwa Ibom State on Saturday.
The minister said after the expiration next week of the 14 notices earlier given to the contractors, any of them who failed to mobilise to the site will have this contract terminated.
Umahi expressed disappointment that the contractors have been giving excuses of non-payment of compensation as reasons for not mobilising to the site while noting that the Akwa Ibom State government had already settled the compensation issues as it concerns Calabar-Itu road.
He said, “If you talk to them they will say it is because of compensation, and this governor, Akwa-Ibom State, had settled compensation issues and so we are giving them a marching order to ECECC to mobilise at least three sections of that road.
“Mr President has given enough money to fund the projects. The same thing to Julius Berger, by the end of this coming week, if Julius Berger fails to remobilise to the site and the ECECC fails to mobilise to at least three sections of the road, the jobs will be terminated.
“The worst of the road in the entire South-South remains this Akwa Ibom to Cross River through Itu and Odukpani and also the section that is being done by RCC.
“RCC had collected over N40bn on that road 15 kilometres of roads, N156bn inherited from the past administration, they are playing tricks. We have been on them to change their mindset and by the end of next week our 14 days notice of termination of contract will elapse, and we will terminate the projects and give to those who have mastery of laying concrete.”
Also, speaking, the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, admonished the Akwa Ibom State Government and its people to support contractors that would be handling the Akwa Ibom-Calabar axis of the coastal highway.
Akpabio said, “These companies need peace, support and cooperation of our people to deliver the project in record time. I congratulate Governor Umo Eno for the commencement of this federal project during his time.
“We are happy to have a Federal Government road as a state. As a governor, I was not lucky to have that done, but I took it upon myself because it is Akwa Ibom people that use the road.”
