The Federal Executive Council (FEC) led by President Muhammadu Buhari has formally approved the cancellation of the 2020 contract awarded to Dantata & Sawoe for the reconstruction of the Akure-Ado Ekiti road.
The road project, which had been flagged off in 2021, faced various logistics and funding challenges, just as road users have been experiencing hardship on the dilapidated road.
However, on Wednesday, the FEC officially cancelled the contract for non-performance and reawarded it to two new contractors to speed up the completion of the dualisation project.
Awarded for a combined sum of N95.9 billion, the project will be simultaneously taken from Akure and Ado Ekiti ends separately by the two new contractors.
The part of the project which will start from the Akure end was awarded to Messers Sam Chase Nig Ltd/Messers Horizon Construction Co Ltd at the sum of N46,684,481,745.44 while the one from the Ado/Ikere end was awarded to Kopek Construction Co Ltd at the sum of N49,295,088,593.98.
The Federal Government, which had recently considered the road as one of those to be fixed through the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Tax Credit Scheme across the country, has given a marching order to the new contractors to mobilize to site.
Reacting to the development, the Minister of State for Transportation, Prince Ademola Adegoroye, commended President Muhammadu Buhari for taking such drastic step to ensure that the project fully takes off before the end of his administration.
Prince Adegoroye, who had made the reconstruction of the road one of his priorities since he assumed office as Minister, expressed relief that the project would fully take off soon.
The Minister also commended the efforts of the Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN, and other members of the FEC for their support on the project.
Prince Adegoroye, while appreciating the good people of Ondo and Ekiti States for their patience on the condition of the road in the last few years, said the new contractors will soon mobilise to site to begin work on the road.
