* Assures of rewards, more contracts for outstanding performance
Enugu State governor, Dr. Peter Mbah, has directed contractors executing the ongoing 260 Smart Green Schools as well as the 260 Type-2 Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) across the State to expedite action on the projects in order to deliver within the timelines given to them for the completion of the projects.
The Governor, who assured that his administration is already setting up mechanisms for rewards and recognition of contractors who have distinguished themselves in terms of quality and speedy delivery of their projects, also promised that more contracts would be awarded to them for their capacity and commitment.
Mbah spoke yesterday (Thursday, November 7) at a stakeholder’s engagement with all the contractors handling the projects, saying the state government would not condone delay or lateness in the delivery of all the projects.
Addressing the contractors who attended the meeting in their numbers, the Governor described the delivery timelines as sacrosanct, especially because the government, he disclosed, is not owing any of the contractors handling the projects.
He expressed dissatisfaction with some of the contractors who blamed the rainy season, rough topography, shortage of manpower and logistics constraints as some of the challenges that resulted in their delays, directing them to source more hands in order to meet the delivery dates.
According to him, the state government has earmarked enough funds for all the projects, assuring that payments would continue to be made at the right time to contractors.
“Let me once again reiterate that you have our support and we’ll continue to make funds available to you. Once you are able to raise your certificate, you will be paid within five days because we’ve no reason to hold onto your money. So, for us money is not a problem. We gave you these projects because you have the capacity to deliver,” he said.
Mbah explained that his administration had previously intervened in areas of variation of costs because of inflation, stressing that such intervention is designed to serve as motivation for quality jobs and speedy delivery.
He, however, warned that the administration would not entertain sabotage, cost overruns and time overruns as all contractors were fully mobilized except those having issues with their advance payment guarantee who were paid as soon as they rectified it.
The Governor further maintained that the most important objective of his administration is ensuring that all children in the State, including those living in remote and rural areas, have access to the type of education any child could be exposed to in the world that would equip them for future challenges.
He added that the PHCs, which should be delivered before the end of December 2024, were carefully conceived to eliminate infant and maternal as well as under-five mortalities which he described as unacceptable.
On their part, the contractors working across the senatorial districts commended the Governor for promoting local contents, saying that the initiative has created thousands of both skilled and unskilled jobs in the private sector.
Speaking on behalf of the contractors, Engr. Chukwudi Nwankwo and Mr. Steve Oruruo, pledged that they would deliver in time, even as they assured that some of them were already at completion stage.
They extolled the Governor for making funds available to them, insisting that they have no excuse not to honour their own terms of the contracts by delivering on the agreed dates.
