FG Sacks Works Controller, Gives Contractor Feb 28 Ultimatum on Mararaba–Keffi Road

 

The Federal Government has removed the Controller of Works supervising the Mararaba–Keffi Expressway project and issued a February 28, 2026 deadline to the contractor to complete and hand over the road.

Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, announced the decision on Friday during an inspection of the ongoing expansion of the 43-kilometre Mararaba–Keffi corridor.

Umahi accused the affected Controller of Works of issuing fraudulent certificates that enabled payments for jobs that were either incomplete or not executed, including earlier palliative works on the road.

He directed the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Works to immediately redeploy the officer and assign a new Controller to take over supervision of the project.

The minister warned that supervising officials have the authority to withhold certificates and escalate cases of non-compliance by contractors, stressing that failure to enforce standards would attract sanctions.

According to him, the disciplinary action would remain in force unless reversed by the President.

Umahi also issued a stern warning to China Harbour Engineering Company, the contractor handling the project, ordering it to submit a detailed work programme and a written commitment to meet the February 28 deadline.

He expressed dissatisfaction with the slow pace of work, attributing the delays to lapses on the part of both the contractor and supervisory officials within the ministry.

The minister ordered the immediate removal of hand-moulded caps along the road, directed that concreting of the median should commence without further delay, and instructed that solar-powered streetlights be installed along the entire stretch.

“I am giving you till the end of February to hand over this job. You must come to my office on Wednesday with your timetable and a firm commitment to complete the project by then,” Umahi said.

He lamented that repeated inspection visits had not translated into meaningful progress on the project.

Umahi warned that indiscipline, negligence and failure to carry out directives would no longer be tolerated in the Ministry of Works.

During the inspection, he also assessed work at critical sections of the corridor, including the Keffi flyover, where he reiterated that both contractors and ministry officials must discharge their duties diligently in the interest of Nigerians.