Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi has expressed dissatisfaction over the rate of fraudulent activities hatched by the contractors of the road and other infrastructure projects in Nigeria.
Speaking on Thursday during the 29th meeting of the National Council on Works at Re-Meritona Hotel Abakaliki, Ebonyi State capital, Umahi however, emphasized the need for the council to enact a law that would curtail shoddy jobs by the contractors in the country.
According to him, the National Council on Works should think about enacting a law that would mandate the road contractors to ensure 15 years of sustainability of the contracted projects after their completion and inauguration.
"Why is it that our roads are failing? In China if you build a road and in your lifetime it fails, and you are found culpable, you as a contractor will go a life jail.
"But here we have defiled liability period of one year. No badly road-executed project that cannot last one year. And when we told them to increase to 15 years, they began to quarrel.
"Meaning that the contractors know what they are doing. So, in this gathering, we have to think about enacting a law where the percentage of a contract sum will be kept aside for road maintenance so that you (contractors) can take responsibility for the project you (contactors)are building in 15 years.
"If the contractor knows he will take responsibility for the road he built for 15 years, he will avoid doing a shoddy job on any contract."
The Minister attributed the road and building collapse in some parts of the country to the handiwork of fraudulent contractors and their cronies.
The Minister also disclosed that he has banned variations of price (VOP) in contracts, and lamented poor job delivery by the contractors which he maintained resulted in road and building collapse within the shortest time of its construction.
He said President Bola Tinubu has been committed to transforming Nigeria, especially on improving the state of the road network across the nation amid the bitting economy.
Umahi, the former governor of Ebonyi State said that as a way to improve Nigeria roads, the Ministry of Works has abolished soil surface dressing and price variations by contractors handling various road projects across the country.
Declaring the meeting open, the Governor of Ebonyi State, Chief Francis Nwifuru said that the event will address issues relating to contract deficit and ensure timely execution of contracts.
"The National Council on Works has drawn a road map for sustainable development of projects. It is a commitment of our dear President to address the defects on our roads.
"I thank Mr. President and David Umahi for the national emergency on our roads. Our minister is operating on a familiar terrain. He gave us the best road network and opened our rural communities.
"The entire state is receiving infrastructural attention. This is because the quality of infrastructure is needed for sustainable development. Works is the tripod on which other sectors are hinged. We have completed 700 kilometers of roads across the state" Nwifuru said
Earlier in his remarks, the Ebonyi State Commissioner for Works, Engr Stanley Lebechi, appreciated the stakeholders in the works sector and assured of judicious use of resolutions that will be reached at the end of the meeting with the theme: "Unlocking infrastructure potentials and opportunities as a catalyst for sustainable development under the Renewed Hope Agenda"
