Worried by the state of work at the Karshi-Ara-Apo road project, the Senate Committee on the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has summoned officials of the FCDA to appear before it.
Indeed, the committee bemoaned the award of the contract in 2011 to Kakatar Civil Engineering Limited without engineering design.
It would be recalled that the Chairman of the Committee, Sen. Smart Adeyemi who led members of the Committee on an oversight visit to some road projects across the territory expressed dissatisfaction with the slow pace of work on the road.
The 13.125km road project was awarded on January 19, 2011 at the cost of N6.3bn. while over N5bn has already been paid to the contractor before it was abandoned at 73 percent completion.
Expressing his dissatisfaction, Adeyemi said that the contract has dragged for too long.
Adeyemi further invited the contractor to appear before the committee on Thursday.
However at the Committee’s meeting with the contractor on Thursday, Managing Director of the company Mr. Robert Arzibola said there we were some challenges that faced the project at the time of award in 2011, especially the lack of drawing (design).
Mr. Azibola told the Committee that it took about two years later before the project design could be produced.
“We will summon the Director of Engineering at that time to answer questions how the contract was awarded without drawing and other questions will follow.
“Tomorrow we will have the minister here, the permanent secretary will be here, then you will be here. We will put this question” Adeyemi said.
