Alhaji Ahmed handed down the directives on Wednesday during an inspection tour of some on-going projects executed by the immediate past administration of the State to ascertain their various stages of completion.  

The Alabi-Owo road project, which was awarded in November 2009 at a cost of N20.8 Million for a completion period of four months, ought to have been handed over in March 2010. The time of the inspection of the project, the Contractor handling the project was neither on site nor sent representatives and without any equipment on location.  

Briefing the Governor at the project site, permanent secretary, Kwara State Ministry of Works, Engineer Ayo Samuel, said the contractor has been paid about  N14 Million by the State Government without any outstanding certificate before the road project was abandoned.  

Reacting  the governor said that "the road was meant to be used by the people and if it is not put to use, it doesn’t make any sense because people are suffering. There are thousands of indigenous contractors looking for jobs, so revoke the contract immediately".  

Inspecting the renovation of the Sharia Court of appeal also in Ilorin, Alhaji Ahmed expressed satisfaction with the level of work done and assured the Grand Khadi, Justice Idrees Haroon that befitting quarters would equally be provided for all Khadis of the Sharia Court at the Judge’s Quarters in Ilorin.  

The Governor, who was accompanied on the inspection visit by some top government functionaries, decried the slow pace of work on some of the projects, saying that their completion were staying longer than anticipated.  

Among the projects inspected were the Sharia Court of Appeal, Sulu Gambari road, Alabi Owo street, Post-Office-ITC junction road, Offa Garage-Michael Imoudu road dualization project and Idofian-Fufu-Lajiki road that was solely financed from the State/Local Government Joint Account.  

He frowned at some contractors who abandoned project sites as a result of inadequate financing, pointing out that abandoning of sites was not a solution to the problem of inadequate cash flow.  

While expressing satisfaction on the quality of job by the contractor handling Sulu Gambari road, Borini Prono, Alhaji Ahmed urged the contractor to stretch a little further to hasten its completion and assured that more funds would be made available.  

It was a horrible situation at Idofian-Fufu-Lajiki road where the contractor was also said to have abandoned the project but the governor however assured that the contractor would be mobilized back to site in due course.    
 

Abdulwahab Oba
Chief Press Secretary to the Kwara State Governor
15/06/2011