The federal government on Monday announced a final 14-day termination notice to Julius Berger Nigeria Plc on the contract for section 1 of the Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano dual carriageway valued at about N740 billion.
A statement by the Director, Press and Public Relations in the ministry of works, Mohammed Ahmed, said the decision was based on non-compliance with reviewed cost, scope and terms, stoppage of work and refusal to remobilise to site as directed.
According to the federal government, the decision was borne out of several months of back and forth without any meaningful progress reached at a management meeting of the ministry.
The ministry stated that it 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.
“Nigerians may wish to know that the contract for the rehabilitation of the Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano dual carriageway, which was divided into three sections was awarded to the company on 20th December, 2017 and flagged off by the then Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola at an initial sum of N155.7 billion on June 18, 2018.
“Finally, the present Minister of Works directed the redesigning and re-scoping of the section I of the contract. The alignment was divided into two with one phase redesigned to be on Continuously Reinforced Concrete Pavement (CRCP), while the remaining is with asphaltic pavement.
