Enugu empowers resident engineers on supervision of contracts in all locations, to be held responsible for jobs done by contractors.

The Enugu State Government has deployed resident engineers of the Ministry of Works to all contract locations and will hold them responsible for quality delivery of all contract jobs awarded by the government.

Works and Infrastructure Commissioner, Mr. Greg Nnaji, yesterday 23 January 2020, empowered resident engineers to enforce quality in contract execution, at a joint meeting by his ministry with government approved contractors, the resident engineers, as well as architects and quantity surveyors working in the government of the State.

The meeting held at the NCFC Building on Onitsha road, which also houses the Ministry of Works.

Citizens have in the recent past voiced concerns in both mainstream and social media on the quality of some of the works delivered by contractors working for the state government.

Mr. Nnaji said he convened the meeting to introduce the new resident engineers nominated by the Ministry to government-approved contractors and to inform them that it is no longer business as usual.

Citizens have in the recent past voiced concerns in both mainstream and social media on the quality of some of the works delivered by contractors working for the state government.

In one such instance and following media reports, the state governor had to leave Enugu to go on a snap inspection at Nsukka town where he ordered a contractor to stop work on a road contract that was being poorly executed.

“Henceforth, we will hold our Resident Engineers responsible for success and failure of projects under their supervision in the State,” Nnaji announced to the contractors at the meeting.

The Engineers, he said, will report on each contractor’s adherence to quality assurance, quality control and specifications, as well as ensure timely delivery of contracted projects.

Enugu State Government does not owe its contractors. The State has also been placed in the second position by the World Bank in its most recent report from the ease of doing business survey on Nigeria.

Greg Nnaji

He also announced other measures that the government has put in place to ensure quality delivery of projects, including

  • deploying concrete testing machines to evaluate strength of mixture of materials for construction;
  • signing, confirming and attaching satisfactory results of laboratory tests of materials used in construction as a condition for payment of jobs; and
  • nominating an asphalt plant from which all contractors working for the State would procure asphalt to ensure that projects met the standard specified in the design.

The Commissioner indicated that contractors that are honest and diligent will be rewarded with more jobs by the government.

He told the contractors that they should count themselves lucky to be working for the State.

The contractors who spoke thanked the State Governor, Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, for giving them the opportunity to work for the state and for his novel policy of paying promptly for jobs that they have completed.

“Enugu State Government does not owe its contractors. The State has also been placed in the second position by the World Bank in its most recent report from the ease of doing business survey on Nigeria,” Nnaji explained.

He announced the major projects to be embarked upon this year by the government as the construction of a flyover bridge at Abakpa T-junction, construction of an additional pavilion at Okpara Square, completion of the International Conference Centre, and renovation of Hotel Presidential Enugu.

The contractors who spoke thanked the State Governor, Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, for giving them the opportunity to work for the state and for his novel policy of paying promptly for jobs that they have completed.

The CEO of Gani Ola Engineering Services Ltd, Mr. Ganiyu Olaletan, appreciated the Ministry for its support and guidance of Contractors working for the Enugu State Government, while his counterpart in Marcico International Alliance Ltd, Chief Marcel Ekwuonye, appreciated the State Government for giving an opportunity to indigenous Contractors to execute state projects in Enugu State.

Permanent Secretary, Mr. Emmanuel lcheku, explained that the government of Enugu State intentionally elected to use indigenous contractors to empower them to grow in their profession. The resident engineers for various ongoing projects were thereafter introduced to the contractors.

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