Rep petitions FG over delayed Jigawa road project

Category: News Published on Friday, 18 January 2013 06:00 Written by Mustapha Suleiman

A member of the House of Representatives, Yusuf Shittu Galambi, has petitioned Works minister Mike Onolememen over the delay in the construction of Tsakwaran-Galambi road in Jigawa State.

Rep Galambi, who represents Gwaram Federal Constituency of Jigawa State, said in the petition that the road project was awarded since February last year but that little work has been executed since then.

He said the only noticeable work done so far was clearing of not more than 2 kilometres 10 months ago even prior to the payment of 15 percent mobilization fee to the contractor.

“As a representative of my constituents, we are apprehensive that this company can’t or may not be able to deliver as specified, and as such, we have almost lost confidence in their ability and capacity to do the job,” Galambi said in the petition which was dated January 14.

He urged the minister to prevail on the contractor to “justify why appreciable work has not been done despite being mobilized, and take appropriate measures to address the anomaly.”

When Daily Trust contacted the Works ministry in Abuja yesterday, the Deputy Director, Highways Planning and Development, Engineer Umunna Ekenna, said the road project lacked design papers, hence its slow pace.

“The honorable member is right to complain about the road project that is not being done in his constituency. From February 2012 some issues arose. There were no designs so the person was asked to go and do the designs and if the designs are not done we cannot not approve,” he said.

“Normally we always do our designs before we award so that based on what is designed we can quote. But when this was not done, we must insist that the contractor must get the designs done.

“And then like our roads controller in Jigawa just informed me, it has been completed and was forwarded to our highways design department and they just approved the designs in October last year and since that approval, the contractor has started the site clearing.”