SURE-P Reports
“The unfortunate incident which occasioned the 2013 kidnapping of seven foreign workers at the Shuwarin Junction in Jigawa State may affect the projected completion date of the dualization of Kano-Maiduguri Road,” the Director of the Project Implementation Unit of the Road and Bridges Project of SURE-P, Mayen Adetigba stated this during the inspection of projects by the SURE-P Sub- Committee on Monday February 10, 2014.
During the visit which was to verify the Interim Pay Certificate (IPC) Number 19 for Dantata and Sawoe as well as the Interim Pay Certificate Number 24 for SETRACO Nigeria Limited, Mayen Adetigba noted that the incident was very traumatic to both contractors and clients with the contractors returning just lately to the site after the provision of security facilities by the Federal Government.
Also speaking, the Convener for the SURE-P Road and Bridges Project, Kassim Bataiya said that the percentage of the work done so far stands at 60%, stressing that the issue of funding would not be a problem to SURE-P. “In all the intervention projects under SURE-P, we don’t have any problem with payment. Once money is appropriated and as soon as the contractor submits his certificate and is verified, we pay out- rightly without delay. So, the issue of funding has not been a problem in all the SURE-P projects,” he noted.
Kassim Bataiya disclosed that SURE-P does not have control over the budget, since it is not appropriated by SURE-P. The executive, he explained prepares the budget, while the legislature appropriates it. He added that SURE-P has nothing to do with the budget unless when fully appropriated and approved by the government.
The Project Manager of SETRACO, Andreozie Fulvio in his remarks opined that the activities of the company depend on the release of funds by Government. He also noted that they have all the equipment and human resource personnel to deliver the job on schedule.
The Project Manager of Dantata and Sawoe, Sanusi Dantata promised to utilise the instructions of the visiting team to design a programme in collaboration with the supervisory Ministry towards meeting the expectation of the masses that the project should be completed on time.
“The main challenge of this project is not financing, but budgeting. We are praying that our client should increase its budget to enable the completion of this project in 2015. The government has to commit N28billion naira because the N3.2billion naira proposed by the Federal Government out of N30billion naira cannot do the job. We are expected to work based on the commitment of the government. Our plans and programmes are always to do more than what the government want us to do,” Sanusi Dantata indicated.
He also informed that there is need for a meeting with the Managing Director of Dantata and Sawoe before the release of the Interim Pay certificate.
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