Niger State government has given the contractor handling the construction of a N1.4 billion bridge across River Shiroro two weeks to step up work on the construction of the bridge or have the contract revoked.
The overseeing Commissioner of Works, Dr Yahaya Vasta told Journalists yesterday in Minna that the Ministry was not impressed with the contracting firm, Rural Steel Bridge Nigeria Ltd over the slow pace of work.
He said that out of the contract sum the contracting firm was mobilised to the tune of over N300 million but the firm had remained behind schedule for about three weeks and noted that the Bridge was one of the projects being executed with the N9 billion Bond collected by the state government from capital market.
The Commissioner said the government was not ready to accept any delay of work from the five contractors handling the bond projects as the state government placed a lot of premium on the projects to meet the yearnings of the people.
According to him none of the contractors executing any of the N9 billion bond projects have any certificate pending for payment maintaining that the money for all the projects were available as government would not accept anything other than the maximum of 24 dry months given to the contractors.
Also speaking on the deplorable state of Minna-Bida road the Commissioner said the government had mobilised contractors to the road to make quick repairs to ensure that the road was put in shape.
He said that as an interim measure to save the road from total collapse, the state had resolved that as the repair was going on, no heavy duty vehicle should be allowed to ply the road.
He said that five new culverts were to be built along the road while? Governor? Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu had directed that a new design for some segments of the road to be made.