The Niger State Government has issued a formal notice to contractors engaged in its projects, saying it will neither accept nor disburse payments for work that fails to meet established quality standards.
To ensure compliance, the government has implemented robust monitoring teams tasked with verifying that all projects adhere to the requisite specifications.
The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Works and Infrastructure, Hassan Baba Etsu, gave the warning in Minna on Monday while speaking with journalists.
He said; “the state government is currently constructing over 556 kilometres of roads across the 25 local government areas and carrying out urban renewal projects in Minna, Bida, Suleja, and Kontagora.”
“This government has zero tolerance for poor-quality jobs. Our experienced engineers are on-site to monitor all projects to make sure they are durable and beneficial to communities,” Etsu stated.
He explained that the government is committed to fast-tracking infrastructure development across the state to address the huge deficit it inherited.
“We met a state with serious infrastructure challenges, and we are determined to fix them. No contractor will be allowed to slow down our progress,” he explained.
Etsu dismissed claims that a lack of funds is delaying some projects.
He said; “there is no way we would be executing these projects without funding. Some contractors only took short breaks but are already returning to sites. By the end of November, work will resume fully.”
The Permanent Secretary also expressed concern over reckless driving by truck drivers, which has caused accidents.
He said “the ministry has begun training drivers and has set up safety committees at all project sites to enforce traffic rules.”
“Anyone caught violating safety regulations will face prosecution,” Etsu warned.