By Jude Njoku Kingsley Adegboye

The Federal Ministry of Works has taken the Ondo State Government to task over its alleged threat to sack the contractor handling the reconstruction of the ever-busy Benin-Ore road. It was reported by a section of the media last week that the State government has taken over the repairs of the Ore-Benin road with the threat to sack the contractor currently handling its rehabilitation.

Reacting to the alleged takeover of the road, the Chief Press Secretary to the Minister of Works, Mr. Taye Akinyemi noted that the ministry has since awarded the contract for this road and the contractor is fully mobilised on site and currently engaged in palliative work that would make the road motorable for the remaining part of the rainy season, before executing the reconstruction work scheduled to be completed by the first week of November, 2011″.

Akinyemi stated that the Federal Ministry of Works is determined to tackle and resolve the problems associated with the nation’s major road networks in line with the directive from President Goodluck Jonathan to the Minister to hit the ground running.

He explained that the minister who embarked on an on-the-spot assessment tour of the road last met with the contractor carrying out the palliative work.

“A significant outcome of this tour was the directive to the contractor to ensure that palliative works were completed within 24 days pending rehabilitation and full reconstruction of the failed section of the road after the rainy season.

Vanguard Homes & Property recalls that the contractor handling the project, Messrs Reynolds Construction Company Nigeria Limited withdrew from site in September 2010 due to the kidnap of one of its expatriate staff. The Minister’s spokesman noted that although this incident was widely reported in the media, the Ondo state government failed to intervene.

Mike Onolememen, Works minister during an inspection of Benin-Ore road

 Physical progress

The Section 1 of the Ajebandele-Ore-Benin road (Ajebandele-Ofosu in Ondo State) was awarded to Messrs Reynolds Construction Company Nigeria Limited on May 28, 2009 for the total sum of N9.7bn with a completion period of 30 months, ( December 27, 2011). Akinyemi claimed that physical progress on the failed portion of the road has reached is 64.09 percent with 18km length being up to asphaltic concrete binder course out of the total length of 35kms of the distressed section.

“Notwithstanding the fact that the contractor is being owed over N3bn for job already done on the over 150km part of the road which has already been satisfactorily recovered and reconstructed, the construction firm is fully back and mobilised to the troubled spot on the Ore end of the road and palliative work is in progress to enable travellers have easy passage with a firm directive from the Minister that the palliative work must be concluded within the next three weeks,” he said.

The ministry’s new response to solving once and for all the perennial problem in the On the problematic Ofosu-Ore-Ajebandele section of the road, Akinyemi said the Ministry plans to redesign the road to include laying of stone base and macadam layer before the asphalt wearing course so as to prevent water from seeping into the road as has been the case in the past due to high water table in the area.

The CPS who stated that the Federal Government has consistently stressed the need for collaborative efforts between all tiers of government and other stakeholders to move the nation towards a sustainable road development, posited that if states are able to put roads in their domain in motor-able conditions, a sufficient and meaningful road network across the nation would be a reality.

He dismissed the claim that Ondo State is being owed N2 billion for intervening in Federal roads in the state. “The Ondo State government by its letter of 18th August 2006 presented a bill of N2.5bn to the ministry for the rehabilitation of the Owo-Ikare-Ajowa-Ondo State boundary and Ore-Okitipupa federal roads in the state.

Specifically, the value of certificate forwarded from the state in respect of the Ore-Okitipupa road was N770, 333,025.18 while that of Owo-Ikare-Ikaran-Ajowa road was N923, 252,435.87. Each of these amounts has been duly paid to the Ondo State government in tandem with the extent of work done on the roads. The ministry is not owing the Ondo State Government,” he said.