Minister of Works, Engr. David Umahi has ordered the revocation of the contract for the reconstruction of Section 1 (Benin-Imasabor) of the Benin-Sapele-Warri Road, which was awarded to Levant Construction Ltd under the Road Infrastructure Development and Refurbishment Investment Tax Credit Scheme, due to non-performance.

Umahi announced his decision during a briefing after a meeting with the Chief Executives of GELD Construction Ltd and SKECC Nigeria Ltd over the delay in the execution of the Benin-Sapele-Warri road project held in his office.

Others at the meeting included: the Minister of State for Works, Rt. Hon. Bello Goronyo, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Engr. Olufunso Adebiyi and directors of key departments in the ministry.

This was contained in a statement signed by his Special Adviser (Media), Orji Uchenna Orji, in Abuja, on Wednesday.

The Minister expressed dismay over the failure and/or neglect of Messrs Levant to live up to expectations in their contractual duties in respect of the section of the road awarded to them.

Umahi said, “We have three sections there. We have the Levant section. Unfortunately, Levant has not lived up to expectation. We even had to intervene and beg the Governor of Edo State to please get the worst sections of that route done.

“We divided the worst sections into two and told Levant to concentrate on one part. While the Governor of Edo State intervened, which I think is about 23 kilometres for N35 billion, and that section the Governor of Edo State intervened in is ongoing very well, Levant has since left site.

“We gave them a series of warning letters. We also gave them the last termination notice. When a termination notice is given to you, it is for you within 14 days to go back to the site and begin to do those things you were not doing.

“This time is for them to remobilise to the site and for them to work, but they did not respond.”

The minister subsequently directed the Permanent Secretary to get the job properly terminated and write them a letter for a joint measurement, and also to write their bank to request for repayment of the APG.

He vowed to involve the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) should the company fail to comply with the demand to make the necessary refunds to government cofers.

Umahi, however, expressed satisfaction with the outcome of discussions with SKECC Nigeria Ltd and Geld Construction Ltd over the need for them to step up work on the respective sections of the road project being handled by them.

He commended the Governor of Delta State, Sheriff Oborevwori and his Edo State counterpart, Sen. Monday Okpebholo, for their interventions on some kilometres of that road project.

Umahi said, “I have called the Governor of Delta State, and I commend him for the very beautiful work he’s doing. Three flyovers at the same time, beautiful flyovers. In this country, we need such beauties.

“We have also learned from that design. So we appealed to him to get any contractor within that zone to put 10 kilometres with reinforced concrete.

“He has accepted to do that. So I commend him very highly, which means that the Governor of Edo State is intervening in that section, and the Governor of Delta State is intervening in that section. We are grateful to them.”

[Vanguard]