Date: 2016-10-29

The Kwara Government on Friday said it would blacklist and refuse to pay contractors doing shoddy jobs on road projects in the state.

Alhaji Aro Yahaya, the state Commissioner for Works and Transport, gave the warning after inspecting some ongoing road projects in llorin.

Yahaya said the state government would not entertain shoddy jobs from any contractor regardless of number kilometres of roads being executed. He directed all contractors currently executing road projects in the state to do them according to the contract specifications.

"We are fully ready to blacklist and refuse payment to any road contractor who executes shoddy projects in any part of the state," he said.

The commissioner advised residents of the state to desist from dumping refuse in the drains to prolong the life span of roads. Some of the roads inspected by the commissioner are the Asa Dam road and New Yidi road.

Others are in Odota, Oko-erin, Saw mill, Adewole, Wara-Osin areas, among others. The commissioner said rehabilitation had commenced on all the porthole riddled roads in the state capital.

Yahaya expressed satisfaction with the level of work done so far on the Egbejila-Airport road in llorin and directed the contractor to expedite action.

The state House of Assembly summoned the commissioner a fortnight ago over what it described as the slow pace of work on Egbejila-Airport road. The commissioner told the House that work had reached advance stage on the road and promised that it would be completed in April 2017.

The N900 million Egbejila-Airport road project in llorin West Local Government area, which was started in 2014, is to serve as alternative route to llorin international Airport from Ilorin.

Yahaya was accompanied on the inspection by officials of the ministry including the Special Adviser to Governor on Rural Roads and Road Maintenance, Alhaji Mohammed Saraki, and the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Alhaji Amuda Alabi.