Fidelis David in Akure
Former Senator representing Ekiti Central Senatorial District, Babafemi Ojudu, Tuesday demanded urgent explanations from the federal government over the fate of the Akure-Ado-Ekiti dual carriageway project, questioning why a project approved and funded as a dual carriageway now appears to have produced only one rehabilitated carriageway.
Ojudu, in a statement posted on his verified social media handle, said residents of Ondo and Ekiti states had initially welcomed the award of the reconstruction and dualisation contract, particularly after contractors mobilised to site, cleared the route for a second carriageway and commenced work on bridges and other structures designed for a dual carriageway.
“But what has ultimately been delivered? One rehabilitated carriageway,” he said, expressing concern that heavy construction equipment had disappeared and work sites had gone quiet, leaving behind bridges and earthworks apparently prepared for a dual carriageway.
According to him, the project has already passed through a troubling history. He recalled that the original contract, reportedly valued at about N30 billion, was awarded to Dantata & Sawoe in November 2019 before it was later cancelled.
Ojudu noted that on March 29, 2023, the Federal Executive Council approved the re-award of the project as a 50-kilometre dualisation project for approximately N95.98 billion, with the project formally flagged off in May 2023.
He said the Akure-Ondo State boundary section was awarded to Samchase Nigeria Limited and Horizon Construction Company Limited for N46.68 billion, with a 24-month completion period, while the section from the Ekiti boundary towards Ado-Ekiti was awarded to Kopek Construction Limited for N49.29 billion, with a 30-month completion period.
Against this backdrop, Ojudu challenged the Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, to explain whether the original contract for a dual carriageway had subsequently been revised to a single carriageway.
“If so, who authorised the change, when was it approved, and why were the people not informed?” he asked, while also demanding clarification on whether the contract sum had been reviewed and how much had been released to each contractor.
He further questioned why bridges and other structures were constructed to accommodate a dual carriageway if only one carriageway was ultimately intended for delivery.
“Have the contractors formally withdrawn from the site, or is the disappearance of their equipment merely temporary?” Ojudu asked, demanding to know the percentage of the project completed and when work on the second carriageway would resume.
Most importantly, he challenged the federal government to state whether it still intends to deliver the dual carriageway for which nearly N96 billion was approved.
“Minister Umahi, this road is too important to the economic and social life of Ondo and Ekiti states to disappear into the familiar fog of abandoned contracts, altered specifications and official silence,” he said.
Ojudu insisted that a refurbished single carriageway could not simply be substituted for a dual carriageway without an explanation, stressing the people deserved to know “what was awarded, what has been paid for, what has been delivered and what became of the rest of the project.”