Minister of state for housing summons contractor to explain why work on apartments is taking so long

MINISTER of state for power works and housing Mustapha Shehuri has summoned the contractor working on a National Housing Programme block in the Delta State capital Asaba to explain why work on a three-storey building is taking so long to complete.

Local contractor Prince Hood Construction, has been engaged to compete the housing block as part of the government's ambitious housing programme but work on the project is proceeding very slowly. While on an inspection tour of ongoing federal government projects in Delta State, Mr Shehuri noticed that the housing unit had not been completed, so decided to confront the contractor and ask for an explanation.

According to the minister, the contractor should have gone beyond the foundation stage of the project as the company had already been mobilised and paid twice for two stages of work. Godwin Otobo, the National Housing Programme Team leader in Delta State, said the project had 28 units of two bedroom semi-detached bungalows and 16 units of three bedroom apartments.

Mr Shehuri said: “I am inviting the contractor to the ministry in Abuja to explain why he will collect his mobilisation fee, payment for second and third stages and abandon the project. If he fails to comply within next week, I will make sure I revoke the contract because this government is not ready to tolerate any form of indiscipline.

“The invitation is to see him, listen to his explanation, give him time to go back to the site and work for what he has collected. If he fails to comply, I will write to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) chairman to get him arrested and made to return the money."

According to Mr Otobo, the site has 12 contractors and so far eight units of two bedrooms semi-detached bungalows have been completed, with others at various stages of completion. He added that 10 hectares of land was provided by the Delta State government for the project, pointing  that there was still provision to replicate the existing buildings at the back of the site.