By Tordue Salem

ABUJA — Angered by the spate of abandoned road projects in the Country, the House of Representatives Committee on Works, yesterday, threatened to blacklist civil engineering contractors.

The Works Committee Chairman, Rep. Chukwuma Onyema (PDP/Ogbaru/Anambra), gave the threat at an interactive session with officials of the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency, FERMA.

“We cannot continue to condone the abandonment of road projects in the East and other parts of the country. If this continues, we will not hesitate to ask the Speaker of the House to write a letter to blacklist any company that is found wanting.

“If you go around the country, roads are terrible and every year money is appropriated for these roads,” he said.

Some of the projects allegedly abandoned by contractors are the Obajana-Kabba Road in Kogi State, special repairs and the pavement strengthening overlay of 9th Mile Corner-Obollo-Afor-Otukpa Road.

Managing Director of FERMA, Engr. Kabir Muhammed, told the Committee that most of the contracts were “terminated” or abandoned before he took office last year, but were being listed for reconsideration in the 2010 budget.

Other roads proposed for consideration this year, he stated were: Special repairs and pavement strengthening (overlay)of Aliade-Makurdi-Lafia, Tegina Birnin-Gwari,Mokwa-Bina, Biu-Damboa-Maiduguri, Gombe-Potiskum roads.
The maintenance would also cover Zaria-Kano, Kaduna-Zaria, Dutsinma-Kankara-Katsina road, Birnin-Gwari, Umuahia-Ariam-Ikot Ekpene. Owerri-Orlu-Akokwa-Awka, Egbema-Ahoada-Abua-Degema, Ogoja-Obudu, Amukpe-Abraka-Umutu-Agbor-Uromi, Ibadan-Ife, Ife-Ijesha-Akure Dual carriageway roads.

The FERMA boss said the Agency would also provide “street lighting on roads and bridges in all zones of the country,” as well as construct “additional observation and service camps at flashpoints in all zones of the country and procurement of cold asphalt for road works.”