Julius Berger, CCECC, RCC may not secure road contracts in Ogun State again
Indications have emerged in Ogun State showing that more preference will be given to indigenous contractors over foreign to grow local content and create jobs.
The State Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Mr. Olamilekan Adegbite, in a statement revealed that government will give indigenous contractors preference in the award of contracts for the construction of 171 rural roads in the state.
He recalled that the state government had on May 18, 2017 advertised in five national dailies its intention to construct 171 rural roads and 25 semi-urban roads across the state identifying three roads in each of the 20 local government areas and 37 local council development areas.
In a statement signed by the ministry’s Head of Media, Mr. Ayokunle Ewuoso, the Commissioner said the state government would also not stop other contractors from applying for the contracts.
According to him, “Presently, there are so many contractors that are working for us including indigenous companies. But on the present jobs where we have requested for bids for the construction of the 171 rural roads and 25 semi-urban roads, deliberately we are saying they should be indigenous contractors.
“While we are not stopping the big contractors from applying for the jobs, we are saying, let our focus be on indigenous contractors in the 171 rural roads. Before any road will be considered for construction, the state government would have seen that it is a road that will maximally benefit everybody.”
While denying the insinuation that government was more interested in the construction of federal roads to the detriment of state roads, he noted that several state roads had been constructed but hierarchy had always been considered.
“There is hierarchy when you are doing roads. Those that benefit more people, which are the spine or major roads, are the ones government will do first. We are not claiming that government ends with this administration; government is a continuum. If past administrations had been doing this, we would have found something else to do.
He assured that the new policy of the government on road development is for all new roads to last for not less than 30 years before it would be due to reconstruction.
