Works Minister Dave Umahi issues CCECC a 14-day termination notice over alleged failures on roadworks.
He ordered defective binder replaced, warning contracts be revoked and sections reassigned to indigenous contractors.
The Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, has directed that a 14-day termination notice be served on China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) over alleged poor workmanship and a near failure on the 43-kilometre Port Harcourt to Aba dual carriageway.
Speaking during an inspection in Rivers State, Umahi said the project, inherited from the last administration, has continued to deteriorate despite repeated warnings and steady funding. He noted that the ministry’s design called for concrete shoulders with an asphalt main carriageway to extend the road’s lifespan. Instead, he alleged, the contractor laid long stretches of binder course without first completing the shoulders or applying the final wear coat, a shortcut he said has already failed on portions finished about two years ago.
Umahi stated that more than 20 formal cautions had been issued to the firm. He announced that the Port Harcourt-bound lane would be removed from CCECC’s scope and reassigned to “competent indigenous contractors,” adding that the ministry will publish its correspondences with the company to ensure transparency and protect public funds.
He warned that if CCECC does not mill out the defective binder and replace it with the specified materials, the company could face wider penalties, including the termination of its contracts across the country. Umahi also instructed the Federal Controller of Works in Rivers State to deliver the formal notice, along with the documented warnings, to CCECC’s head office before Wednesday.
