The Federal Ministry of Works has directed Julius Berger, the contractor handling Section One rehabilitation of the Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano Dual Carriageway, to evacuate the project site.
This followed a 14-day final termination notice issued to the company on Monday, dismissing any possibility of further negotiations.
The ministry said the termination was based on non-compliance with the reviewed cost, scope, and terms, stoppage of work, and refusal to remobilise to the site, as directed.
It noted that negotiations had been ongoing for several months without any significant progress.
A statement by the Director of Press and Public Relations, Mohammed Ahmed, disclosed this information on Monday in Abuja, stressing that the decision was reached during a management meeting of the ministry at its headquarters.
Recall that the works ministry had in the last 13 months been in constant talks with the company, in order to reach an amiable position on the said alignment but to no avail.
The latest development follows an earlier threat by the minister to revoke the contract that was awarded to the company in 2018 when former President Muhammadu Buhari was in power.
While the Kaduna-Zaria section has been completed and the Zaria-Kano section is almost done, the Abuja-Kaduna section has recorded 27 per cent progress in six years.
At an event penultimate week, Umahi accused Julius Berger of playing politics with the highway to make the current administration look bad.
Mohammed further explained that a request to rescope the project was approved by the Federal Executive Council but the contract’s terms were not agreed upon by the contractor.
He added, “Due to the stalemate of the contract and, most importantly, the desire of President Bola Tinubu, as encapsulated in the Renewed Hope Agenda infrastructure initiative, to see to the completion of this laudable project, also to alleviate the sufferings of Nigerians plying the road, the ministry re-scoped it and got the approval of the Federal Executive Council.
