By Damilola Aina
The Federal Government through the Ministry of Works has secured the services of retired military and security personnel to protect and secure construction sites.
The Minister of Works, David Umahi, disclosed this during an interaction with members of the Adhoc Committee at the ministry headquarters in Abuja.
The ministry’s Director of Information, Olusola Abiola, in a statement on Wednesday said the formation of the team was to tackle incessant complaints by contractors who abandon project sites on the basis of insecurity.
He said the officers, one each from the army and police force, were chosen from the six geopolitical zones.
Justifying their selection, Umahi said the retired personnel were chosen by their different service chiefs based on their track record and experience.
He added that the work of the committee was a national assignment advising them not to fail the nation.
He said, “We came up with this idea of having one retired military officer and police from each of the geopolitical zones because of the security challenges being faced by contractors in the course of their work.”
“There are some projects that were awarded in the North East, North West, and South East for which the contractors handling those projects left the sites over the issue of insecurity,” stating that they are not on-site and this has become a concern to us in the Ministry.”
He explained that members are expected to work with the personnel of the ministry at Zonal levels, pledging that all necessary assistance would be provided to ensure the success of their assignment.
The minister further called on all Nigerians to show patriotism by joining hands with security agencies to protect highway construction project sites across the country.
Umahi said, “We are concerned about the security of our sites during construction and we believe strongly that if we have experienced security personnel who understand the terrain, it would go a long way in ensuring the security of the sites.”
The former Ebonyi governor further charged members of the committee to demonstrate patriotism as individuals and groups by putting the interest of the nation first in the discharge of the onerous responsibility before them.
He also stated that the ministry was counting on them to bring security to various construction sites scattered all over the country.
He used the opportunity to thank the service chiefs who had cooperated with the Ministry by responding promptly to the request of the Ministry leading to the establishment of the Committee in the first place.
Earlier in his opening remarks, the Permanent Secretary, Yakubu Kofarmata, expressed the appreciation of the ministry to members for offering themselves to serve their fatherland at this crucial time in the nation’s history.
He urged them to give their best in the discharge of their task in the interest of national development.
In a related development, the Federal Government and the management of MTN Nigeria have renewed their commitments to the completion of the ongoing rehabilitation of the Enugu-Onitsha Highway.
This was the resolution reached at the end of the stakeholders meeting held in the conference hall of the Federal Ministry of Works on Wednesday in Abuja.
Umahi was quoted in a statement commended the management of MTN Nigeria led by the Chief Executive Officer, Karl Toriola for the assurance given to fast track the rehabilitation of the 107km highway which begins from the 82 Division in Enugu and terminates at the River Niger head bridge in Onitsha.
The minister disclosed that the ministry was desirous of abiding by the provisions of the Presidential Order on the tax credit scheme which provided for some corporate organisations such as Dangote, BUA, and NNPCL to utilise 50 per cent of their expected tax payable to the Federal Government to fund the construction of critical road projects in the country.
Umahi also restated the imperative for the organisation to make good its commitment to the provisions of the contract despite the current economic challenges.
He, however, promised that the Tinubu administration would continue to give credible assistance to MTN as it demonstrates the determination to complete the highway project on schedule.
The existing contract signed between the Federal Government and MTN Nigeria; one of the leading GSM service providers in the country, would gulp over N200 billion in two separate phases to be executed over a period of thirty-six months.
In his remarks, the CEO of MTN Nigeria expressed his appreciation for the minister’s understanding of the challenges being faced in the execution of the contract, pledging to expedite work on the project.
He assured the minister that his organisation would continue to partner with the Federal Government and work assiduously for the successful completion of the highway project.