The Federal Government has revoked a section of the Abuja-Kaduna highway contract from Julius Berger over irregularities.
Minister of Works, David Umahi, announced this during the inauguration of the rehabilitation of the Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano road on Thursday in Abuja. He explained that the contract, initially awarded to Julius Berger in 2018 under former President Muhammadu Buhari for N391 billion, had faced delays.
Umahi stated that while the Kaduna-Zaria section has been completed and the Zaria-Kano section is nearing completion, the Abuja-Kaduna stretch has experienced a slow pace of progress over the past six years.
“We inherited about 240km in section one and extended another two kilometers toward Kogi state for repairs because the condition of the road was an eyesore,” Umahi said. “We added 7.5km to the original 750km. The cost given to Julius Berger for this section is N349 billion or N2.03 billion per kilometer, and it’s on flexible pavement. Section one is 38km or 76km of single carriageways when you multiply it by two.”
He highlighted that the cost for this section is N145 billion or N1.9 billion per kilometer, with sections one and three being executed under tax credit. Umahi also revealed that Julius Berger had demanded N1.5 trillion to complete the entire project within four years, prompting the government to divide the road into three sections.
“We didn’t agree to that, and President Bola Tinubu didn’t support it either. So, we opted to divide the road into three sections, which was approved,” Umahi explained. “Julius Berger initially accepted the new arrangement but later began to play games by delaying the work.”
He added that the Ministry of Finance had committed to paying N20 billion monthly to expedite the project, but Julius Berger requested an increase from N710 billion to N740 billion. Last week, the company further demanded N903 billion, a condition the government found unacceptable.
“Our stance is firm—we are not increasing the contract for Julius Berger beyond N740 billion. This game must end. I have invited them for a meeting tomorrow. They cannot keep pushing us around. Enough is enough,” Umahi said.
The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Land Transport, Adamu Aliero, praised the government for revoking the contract and re-awarding it to more competent contractors. He emphasized the importance of the Abuja-Kaduna road, describing it as a vital link connecting the northeast, northwest, southeast, south-south, and southwest regions of Nigeria.
“Governors, senators, and frontline politicians have complained about the slow pace of work on this road, and many have spoken about the number of lives lost due to its deplorable condition. This road is a national asset, and its completion is critical,” Aliero said.
He called on the newly awarded contractors to expedite the work and urged Julius Berger to restore public confidence by completing other sections of the project that were not revoked.