In a move aimed at putting an end to shabby projects in Lagos, the state government says it will, going forward, not issue certificate of completion on projects whose delivery is below standard as well as those not executed to agreed specifications
Some infrastructure projects that gulped millions and billions of tax payers’ money in the state had been found to have been poorly executed by contractors (especially local contractors) to which they were awarded.
Pundits have linked this to political patronage and corruption where officials collude with contractors to inflate contract cost and receive kickback thereby turning blind eyes to the quality of project delivery.
The implication over the years has been the re-awarding of such projects as they often collapse within a year or two, thereby draining public funds which could have been channelled into other projects. One of the examples of such was the North Avenue road project within in the Apapa GRA, which collapsed less than one year after it was awarded and completed under the previous administration in the state, and had to be re-awarded twice.
But the special adviser to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on works and infrastructure, Aramide Adeyoye says this will no longer be allowed.
“As the process of reopening the economy takes shape after COVID-19 lockdown, we have decided to embark on a tour of ongoing road projects across the state, in order to ensure quality control and standards in their delivery,” said Adeyoye, during a recent tour of some projects.
She noted that the decision to withhold the certificate of completion on any poorly executed projects has been communicated to the contractors as this would be the new normal going forward.
Among the road projects inspected by the special adviser and her team from the ministry of works and infrastructure were Ijede and Agric- Ishawo roads, in Ikorodu and Gbagaga, in Kosofe local government areas.
The inspection, she said, was to assess the quality of work, stage of completion and the materials used by the contractors, adding that the government has set a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for all projects which is to be strictly monitored by engineers from her ministry.
According to her, the government, in its determination to ensure conformity to quality assurance and control standards in road construction and rehabilitation, has grouped contractors into different categories depending on their technical ability and precision of delivery on projects.
She further disclosed plans to place registered contractors into different categories so as to ultimately determine the quality and volume of projects each contractor will handle.
“Quality assurance is the hallmark of this administration. We cannot afford to compromise standards in all projects because all these projects are being financed through tax payers’ money,” she said.
