The Minister of Works, David Umahi, has instructed the cancellation of the contract with Levant Construction Limited, which was responsible for the reconstruction of the Benin-Sapele-Warri Road under the Road Infrastructure Development and Refurbishment Investment Tax Credit Scheme, due to underperformance.
Umahi made this announcement in Abuja following discussions with the chief executives of GELD Construction Ltd and SKECC Nigeria Ltd regarding the delays in the project, expressing dissatisfaction with Levant’s failure to meet the expectations set in their contract.
He remarked: “We have three sections involved. There is the Levant section. Regrettably, Levant has not met the expected standards.
We even had to intervene and pleaded with the Governor of Edo State, Monday Okpebholo, to address the most critical portions of that road. We broke the worst sections into two and instructed Levant to focus on one part.
“With the governor’s intervention, approximately 23 kilometers for N35 billion are currently progressing well, but Levant has abandoned the site. We sent them several warning letters and issued a final termination notice.
“When you receive a termination notice, it is your responsibility, within 14 days, to return to the site and commence the tasks you were neglecting. This period is intended for them to remobilize on-site and work, but they did not take action.”
Related News: Delta govt intensifies Primary healthcare upgrades across the state
He directed the Permanent Secretary to properly finalize the termination of the contract and send them a letter for a joint measurement, as well as to notify their bank to seek repayment of the APG; otherwise, the issue would be escalated to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Nevertheless, the minister expressed satisfaction with the discussions held with SKECC Nigeria Ltd and Geld Construction Ltd regarding the necessity for them to enhance their work on the respective sections of the road project they are managing.
