Contractors handling various projects in Kwara State may be in for “a serious battle” with the state government unless they lived up to the deadline of their contractual agreements mainly fixed for May 29 this year.

Like some of his counterparts, Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed will mark his second year anniversary in office on that date.

Besides, all the political office holders in the state may put their appointments on hold except they meticulously monitored all government projects sited in their constituencies.

According to Ahmed, who paid on the spots assessment visits to over 15 capital projects in the state, “every money received in trust on behalf of the people of the state must be judiciously spent” to justify the mandate conferred on him by the people.

The governor, who said he would ensure systematic development of the state, disclosed the reasons for making health, water supply and road construction the kernel of his policies, warning that he would not accept any haphazard completion of projects in the state.

He said only a healthy people could turn around the socio-economic situation of the state, just as he described a good road network as harbinger of rapid economic growth, especially in the area of agricultural.

The health projects are general hospitals at Ilorin, Share, Lafiagi, Offa and Omu-Aran. The Ilorin project is meant to decongest the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH), which, though a tertiary institution, is being used for primary, secondary and tertiary purposes.

On the road projects, described as strategic to the planned agro-allied concerns of the state include a modern bridge on Ilorin-Afon road, Obbo/Ilorin asphalt lay, and Oko Bridge on Oko-Oro-Ago road, Ilemona-Erin-Ile road.

Ahmed, justifying the reason for the projects tour said: “At the beginning of every financial year, we have a budget, which is an articulation of programmes that we intend to spend the people’s money on. Once these projects have been given out to contractors, they need to be taken to completion.

“We want to be sure that works are carried on the way they have been idealised for implementation. On the strength of that, once projects are going, there is a strong project monitoring team, a special adviser on infrastructure, who also doubles as check and balance on developmental projects.

“We also need to see for ourselves to ensure that we get value for money. That is what informed our recent visits to various projects that are ongoing, to ensure that we get value for money.”

He added: “Anywhere we go to, we expect that contractors should have got the job to the level to which we have funded them. So far, we are happy with what we have seen.

“Our contractors are working accordingly and anywhere we expect to see things and they fall below our expectations, the contractor will be given a marching order. That is as clear as a crystal.”

At the sites of the general hospital rehabilitation projects, the governor promised the people of the communities of prompt plan by the government to equip the hospitals with state-of-the-art facilities and employ more health workers.