Senator Barinada Mpigi, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Works, on Thursday, said 39 mobilised federal government contractors have failed to commence work on their designated projects.

He disclosed this during a stakeholders’ engagement in Ilorin, Kwara State, concerning the alignment for the 125km Niger State and 188km Kwara segments of the 1000km Sokoto-Badagry superhighway.

Senator Mpigi said the Senate would summon these contractors to explain their inaction.

“The Senate disapproves of the contractors’ actions and urges the works minister to terminate the contracts of non-performing contractors. We fully support the minister,” he stated.

Supporting the senator, Minister of Works, David Umahi, disclosed that 18 contractors responsible for 260 projects had not reported to their sites.

“We will revoke the contracts of any contractors who have received mobilisation fees but have not commenced work. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) will be employed to recover funds from such contractors,” Umahi declared.

The minister highlighted that the federal government had 18 projects in Kwara State, with 10 currently inactive.

He said of these, six will be reviewed for performance, while four are expected to be completed and delivered by the first quarter of 2025.

In his remarks, Kwara State Governor AbdulRaman AbdulRazaq, represented by his deputy, Kayode Alabi, expressed the state’s full support for President Tinubu’s infrastructure initiatives and economic revival efforts.

Niger State Governor Umar Bago commended the president for realising the vision of a new Nigeria. He urged affected communities not to demand compensation from the federal government. (Daily Trust)

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