Umahi made this statement while inspecting the Rehabilitation of the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano Dual Carriageway, Section 1: Abuja-Kaduna road project.
He explained that the new policy was designed to ensure that contractors demonstrated their commitment to the projects before receiving any financial support.
According to the minister, any contractor bidding for a project should also show their financial capacity to execute the work.
He recalled that the road project, which was initially handled by Julius Berger, was revoked and reassigned to Infouest International Limited due to disagreements.
“I am satisfied with the speed of work. Infouest has not been paid a kobo, but they have been working on-site.
“This is the new policy of the Ministry of Works.
“The moment you sign your agreement, you have to mobilise and be on-site for a minimum of 30 days, doing permanent work before you get mobilisation,” Umahi stated.
Umahi further lauded Infouest for exceeding the 30-day requirement and announced that they would now apply for the 30 per cent mobilisation.
He also commended the progress of the project, stating that concrete work would begin in the first week of March.
“This project is the heartbeat of President Bola Tinubu because of its economic value.
“It is the gateway to all the northern states, and from there, you can go to Cameroon, Niger Republic, and beyond,” Umahi said.
The minister also revealed plans to take the request for Section 2 of the road to the Federal Executive Council on March 3, noting that many qualified contractors would be considered for the next phase.
“I do not know which contractor would be picked, but we have a lot of qualified contractors. With God’s help, we will get it approved,” he added.
Umahi affirmed that the ministry’s decision to terminate the previous contractor demonstrated their commitment to engineering excellence.
The Federal Government, he noted, had several other projects ready for commissioning across the country.
In response, the Managing Director of Infouest, Mr Joseph Abougaounde, expressed gratitude to the Ministry of Works for the trust placed in the company.
He assured that Infouest had worked diligently over the past three months and would continue to deliver the best quality work on time.
“I accept this challenge and promise to shoulder half of it, ensuring that we meet the project’s goals,” Abougaounde said. (NAN)
