By Michael Agbaji
The Senate Committee on FCT has express displeasure over delay on Karshi-Ara-Apo road has summoned the director of Engineering, Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) over the awards of road without a drawning.
Committee chairman, Senator Smart Adeyemi (APC) Kogi West, made this known on Thursday after meeting with the contractor handling the project.
It will be recalled that after the committee oversight function to the abandoned Karshi-Ara-Apo Road on Monday the committee expressed displeasure over the abandonment and immediately summoned the contractor for questioning.
But, the contractor, Kakatar Ce Ltd, a Nigerian construction and engineering company during an interactive session with the Senate on Thursday reveals that the contract was awarded to them in January 19, 2011, to be completed in 20 months.
The Chairman/CEO of Kakatar Ce Limited, Barr Babaola Robert told the committee that the contract was awarded to his company without a drawning as such ran into hitches of having to bring down a rock of about 60m high to zero level, filled a gully to cover the height of 50m as well as having to build bridges which were not captured in the contract.
Despite the hitches, Robert said the company was getting on with the work until 2015 after the new Government of APC came on board, adding that it’s recently that the Minister of FCT has been able to include in the budget a reasonable amount that could enable them return to site-but stressed that the sum in the budget can’t even complete the project now.
He explained further that one section of the road was bided by another company but based on proximity the Federal Government decided his company takes over the job after the FEC met and approved before his company was contacted.
Meanwhile, he stressed that indigenous companies are faced with the challenge of getting favourable loans from banks to execute projects when government mobilization are not forthcoming on like their foreign counterparts who easily get loan of no interest from government of their respective countries to execute their jobs.
“We, Nigeria companies have the capacity to execute contracts if we are dully mobilise after the award of the contract, but in a situation where you were supposed to be mobilised with N9bn and only N300m is released to you, how do you go about in such situation,”‘ he queried.
However, the committee chairman Smart Adeyemi queried the rationality behind awarding a contract without a drawn, saying that there is no how a contract would be giving without a site drawn and the job is expected to be done.
Senator Adeyemi, added that the committee has summoned the director of engineering in FCDA to come on Friday and explain to them why they awarded such a contract without a site drawning.
He noted that, such issues are the reasons there are so many abandoned projects in the country.
Senator Adeyemi said to the contractor, “You shouldn’t have accepted the contract without a drawn. How can you construct a road without a drawning? I see-why we are having contract failures and abandonment in Nigeria.
“Anyway, we are going to summon the director of engineering in FCDA to come and tell us why they awarded a contract without a drawn,” he said.
Meanwhile, the length of the road awarded on January 19, 2011 was 13.125km at the cost of N6.3bn. while over N5bn has already been paid to the contractor before it was abandoned at 73 percent completion.
Consequently, because of the duration involved and previous request by the company for variation, the FCT just issued approval for such request on Wednesday- meaning that the company may mobilise to site as soon as the 2023 FCT appropriation bill comes to effect.
