FGN To Revoke Part Of Abuja-Kaduna Road Contract, Flags Off Rehabilitation
By ABAH ADAH, Abuja
The Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) has considered revocation of a section of the Abuja-Kaduna highway contract being handled by Julius Berger.
The contract was awarded to Julius Berger in 2018 by the immediate past administration, SUMMIT POST reports.
The Abuja-Kaduna Road is the first of the 3 sections of the 375.9km long
Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano Dual Carriageway that connects other parts of Nigeria to its North, traversing the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, Niger, Kaduna, and Kano States. Abuja-Kaduna corridor being section I is 165.5km long, while section II, which is Kaduna-Zaria, is 73.4km, and section II, Zaria to Kano, is 137km.
While the Kaduna-Zaria section has been completed and Zaria-Kano section almost done, the Abuja-Kaduna section has recorded 27 percent progress in 6 years.
Speaking during the inauguration of rehabilitation of the highway at the Zuba area of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja on Thursday, Minister of Works, Sen. David Umahi, accused Julius Berger of playing politics with the project, a move he said would portray the current administration in bad light.
He said the company was seeking for N1.5trn for the project but it was reviewed to N740bn by the Federal Executive Council (FEC).
“Berger said to do this entire job, it needs N1.5tr. We started negotiation since September last year, writing letters every week. Eventually, we told them that despite the ones they are requesting, it would still take them four years to complete as there have been traffic jam and kidnapping on the road.
“We presented the option of balkanising the road into three which the President approved. When we did that, Berger accepted it and the rate. But we did not know they were playing games by continuing to use delay tactics, and at that time their side was N710bn, both completed and those to be done.
“Later, they came back and said that they wanted an increase to N740bn, we went to FEC and they gave approval only for them. last week to say they need another increase to N903 billion.
“Even if we accept it, other contractors will want the same, and it will increase the project to about N4 billion per kilometre (km) which is on asphalt.
“Our position is that we are not increasing this project for Julius Berger beyond N740 billion, the game is over. If they are not doing it, we will give it those that will do it on the same quality of the coaster road at a cheaper rate.
“They have put the project into politics, using it to de-market our administration, and we now say enough is enough,” the Minister explained.
He also disclosed that the entire stretch of the Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano Road which is 375km, dualised, (750km), will see the addition of 7.5 kilometers in Kogi and Kano States, according to a report.
Speaking earlier, the ministry’s director of Highway Construction, Engr Bakare, said the project was de-scoped, and the outstanding sections were re-awarded to Dangote and BUA.
He said the length of the road to be constructed by Dangote is 38-kilometre dual within the section one and would cost N145 billion, with a 14 months completion date, adding that the project which was formerly funded by the Presidential Infrastructure Development Fund (PIDF), will now be paid for through the Tax Credit Scheme.