The Kogi State commissioner of Works and Transport, Alhaji Ibrahim Abdullahi, has attributed poor roads construction across Kogi State to lack? of effective supervision by ministry engineers.
The commissioner disclosed this recently when he hosted? members of the correspondents’? chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, (NUJ), kogi State council in his office. He warned the ministry’s engineers that government would no longer entertain flimsy excuses on lapses in the monitoring of projects.
He warned that the ministry under his supervision would not condone the subversion of the transformation agenda of? Idris Wada administration and stressed that? there was no evidence of government interference in the discharge of their duties .
“I have been asking them(engineers) to show me where they have advised that a contractor should not be paid for poor job and the government refused to comply and , they have not been able to show me. The engineers must be effective in their supervision. I would not patronise? any contractor who cannot adhere to job specifications,” he stressed.
The commissioner further disclosed that lack of equipment has equally hindered the operation of the ministry which according to him contributed to the execution of shoddy jobs by contractors, adding that the governor has already given approval to purchase some equipment.
“The ministry? has qualified engineers but the dearth of equipment has affected our operations.
We have been relying on? the contractors to carry out the needed test and designs? of the contract and? that? situation has hindered the effective supervision of contracts,” he noted.
While regretting that the dwindling resources from the federal allocation and the recent flood in the state have slowed down government activities for several months, he? maintained that the state would witness accelerated development once the 2013 appropriation bill is? passed by the State Assembly.