FG spends N2.8bn on Gbongan-Iwo-Oyo road reconstruction, rehabilitation

THE Federal Government says it has spent N2.8 billion on the rehabilitation and reconstruction of Gbongan-Iwo-Oyo Road.

Mr Babatunde Fashola, the Minister of Works, Power and Housing, disclosed this on Saturday in Gbongan, Osun State, while inspecting the project.

Fashola said that the road was awarded to Kopek Construction Company by the previous administration in 2011 at the cost of N6.9 billion.

Represented by Mr Adetunji Adeoye, the South-West Director of the Ministry, Fashola said that Federal Government was committed to the speedy completion of the road.

He said that the contract, with 18 months completion period, was delayed for three years by the previous administration due to delay in the release of funds.

Fashola said that the current administration had been providing funds to the construction company.

The Minister said that government was working on the review of the contact rate to accommodate changes in prices of materials.

Earlier, Mr Wasiu Atitebi, the Federal Controller of Works in Osun, said that the 32.2 Kilometre road links Gbongan, Iwo in Osun state and Ibadan in Oyo state.

Atitebi said that the contractor was mobilised back to the site in January 2017 after three years delay, adding that the project was in its fifth extension.

Mr Pascal Harfouch, the Kopek contractor, said that some parts of the road were for rehabilitation while other parts were total reconstruction.

Harfouch, who confirmed that government did not owe them for now, said the company was working on a review of the contract sum due to changes in prices.

He added that local people in the area were employed in executing the project in line with Federal Government local content policy.

Harfouch pointed out that the road is at 61.6 percent completion.