By ABAH SUNDAY, Abuja
Minister of Works Sen. David Umahi has set up six committees, one for each geopolitical zone of the country, to review all debts of unpaid certified certificates generated before May 29th, 2023, and from May 29th 2023 to date.
The committees will also review the approved and unapproved variation of prices and all augmentations that were approved or are yet to be approved and make recommendations to the Ministry’s management.
The Minister constituted the committee during an in-house budget defence meeting with directors in the ministry in preparation for budget defence before the Joint Committees of National Assembly slated for 11th December 2023, according to statement signed by the Chief Press Secretary to the Minister, Barr. Orji Uchenna Orji and issued to pressmen on Sunday.
Umahi noted the huge debts arising from unpaid certificates inherited from the past administration, which according to him runs up to N1.5 trillion up till date, and the expected contract reviews arising from inflation, stressing that the two factors were recognised in the ministry as issues that must be confronted in order to move forward.
“The Ministry has exposed these debts and all reviews in the ministry to Mr President’s economic team and also to the Federal Executive Committee on road sector funding.
“It is believed that the internal works through these constituted committees will help them to use external consultants to reverify the works so that concrete decisions will be made to move the ministry forward,” Umahi noted.
Contractors who are being owed were requested to approach the committees with all documents to back up their claims from Tuesday 12th 2023 to Friday, 22nd of December 2023 from 9 am to 7 pm at the Conference Room of the ministry’s headquarters in Abuja.
The Mininster noted that the road sector needed a different kind of attention beyond the 2024 budget envelope received by the Ministry.
“For a developing nation like Nigeria, road sector development is a catalyst for economic development. The road sector has the potential to improve security agricultural, trade and investment, health, education sector ,and, in fact, every aspect of the development of every nation,” he said.
Expressing the ministry’s commitment to the judicious use of funds allocated to the ministry so as to impact on road infrastructure development in line with Mr President’s Renewed Hope agenda, the Minister thanked the President for the attention given to the ministry and his approval of concrete pavement in most of the 2024 projects, as well as the National Assembly.
He equally expressed gratitude to the Acting Permanent Secretary and all the heads of departments who handled the ministry’s budget for their commitment to the appraisal of the 2023 budget and the preparation of the 2024 budget proposal.
The directors, on their part, pledged to embark on supervision of road projects with renewed vigour.