Works Ministry Strategises To Implement Highway Development Management

Nigeria’s Ministry of Works has set up strategic plans to ensure its Highway Development Management Initiative, HDMI is implemented and effective. 

The HDMI is a Public Private Partnership arrangement in the construction, operation and maintenance of highways in Nigeria.

To ensure the effectiveness of the programme, the Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi inaugurated three Committees to facilitate the implementation of the programme.

The Committees are the Scoping and Design Committee, Financial Due Diligence Committee and the Agreement Review Committee.

While inaugurating the Committees at the Ministry in Abuja, Umahi charged them to be diligent in assessing the terms of transparency, standard and efficiency in contract negotiations.

While noting that contracts with some concessionaires have started, the Minister explained that the current economic dynamics and the new policy direction of the present administration would require a review of the scope of work and cost implication.

He however charged the concessionaires to comply with the criteria and time line set for the projects.

“We own the design, you will own the cost of the project while we carry out verification on the cost of the projects; the idea is to scope the projects. We want to have a standard road infrastructure to toll. Our business is to ensure that your design conforms with the Ministry’s standard of design, that is why we are making the Director of Roads and Bridges of the Ministry to be the Chairman of the committee on Scoping and Design. We don’t want to do just a patch on the road and give it to the public for you to toll. The public will resist. We want to have a standard road to toll,” he said.

The Works Minister charged the concessionaires to be diligent in pricing evaluation before presenting it to the Ministry,  that the Ministry would verify every cost presented.

“In all our biddings in 2024 going forward , every cost element must be disaggregated. The procurement law has set up profit for the contractors.  We will verify the cost in respect of concessionaires.

“We have to ensure that the cost you are putting will do the job. We don’t want you to engage and come back and say there is inflation after being engaged on the project . We have to ensure that concessionaires have all what it takes to do the job.

“The Ministry and Concessionaires must ensure that they are on the same page so that the citizens will not suffer.  Patriotism demands that we must not allow citizens to suffer. We have to be realistic and honest. We don’t have all the money as government to do these jobs. 

“ We must have a figure to begin to work with under Due Diligence committee, we want to hand over all these sites to people who are serious by the end of March 2024. I must say that in case timelines were set and any company cannot meet with the timelines, we may not continue processing anything with such company,” Umahi said.

Senator Umahi commended the concessionaires for the progress they made in finalising their designs and documentation by the first quarter of 2024.

He charged them to diligently work with the Ministry’s committees for the final processes.