The Ogun State Government, on Wednesday, declared that it would not compromise on standards in road construction across the state, urging all contractors engaged by it to deliver an excellent job that conforms with government specifications, or risk losing those jobs.
The government handed down this warning following the stop-work order issued by the Ogun State Ministry of Works and Infrastructure, on Monday, 15 December, to the Managing Director of Slavabogu Nigeria Limited, the contractor handling the reconstruction of the Paddy Arikawe road, G.R.A., in Sagamu area of the state.
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The road, which is 3.39km in length and is being done by the Ogun State Government, previously attracted a stop-work order when the contractor handling Phase One of it, namely a 260-metre constituency project of the senator representing Ogun East in the National Assembly, Gbenga Daniel, failed to abide by specifications.
The Ogun State Government said that information obtained in respect of the road as initially proposed by the Ogun East senator indicated that it would take the Federal Government between six and seven years to attend to the rest of the road, as phases 2, 3 and 4 are mere proposals, adding that the Dapo Abiodun government, therefore, awarded the rest of the road, in order to address the plight of residents of the area.
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In a statement signed by Kayode Akinmade, Special Adviser to Governor Dapo Abiodun on Media and Strategy, the Government indicated that its action followed the Works ministry’s receipt of information from the resident engineer on the project that the contractor had commenced the drainage work using singly reinforced steel, instead of the doubly reinforced steel recommended in the contract.
It said that the contractor, who was immediately given the official stop-work order on the same day, was instructed to demolish all the concrete bases and remove all the reinforcement steel, since the walls had not been cast, and reconstruct same with doubly reinforced steel using Grade 30 concrete.
Mr Akinmade said: “The Dapo Abiodun administration is fully committed to the delivery of quality roads that will stand the test of time.
The letter addressed to the contractor handling the reconstruction of the Paddy Arikawe road by the Permanent Secretary, Ogun State Ministry of Works and Infrastructure, was driven by safety considerations, as the ministry had observed significant concerns regarding non-compliance with the reinforcement detailing for the drainage construction works, which do not conform to the specifications detailed in the contract documents.
“In view of this development, the Government hereby warns all state contractors to follow specifications religiously, as there is no room for shoddy works that would compromise the safety of Ogun citizens.”
