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Senate summons FCDA director over Karshi-Ara-Apo road project
The Senate Committee on Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has summoned the Director of Engineering, Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) over the award of the Karshi-Ara-Apo road without a design.
The Chairman of the Committee, Sen. Smart Adeyemi disclosed this during an interactive session with Mr Azibaola Robert, Managing Director of Kakatar Civil Engineering Limited on Friday in Abuja.
It was gathered that Kakatar, an indigenous company was awarded the contract in 2011.
It was also learned that the Senate committee had on Tuesday, visited the site with the Minister of the FCT, Malam Muhammad Bello and that of State, Dr Ramatu Aliyu for an assessment of the project.
The committee had expressed dissatisfaction with the level of work on the site which led to Friday’s meeting with the management of Kakatar.
In his remarks, Adeyemi said: “We have resolved to summon the director of engineering in FCDA to come and explain to us why the contract was awarded for two years without a drawing.
“And if they did, when was mobilisation made? We must know where the blame is.”
Earlier, the MD/CEO of Kakatar Mr Azibaola Robert, told the committee that the contract was awarded to his company without technical design and drawing and as such ran into several hitches.
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According to him, the hitches include having to bring down a rock of about 60metres high to ground level; filled a gully to cover the height of 50m as well as having to build bridges which were not captured in the contract.
“The Karshi-Apo Road project is not a failed project but it has many teething problems.
“We have the capacity to conclude it expeditiously. But if you don’t solve the teething problems, it will not be resolved,” he said.
He further said that funding for the project had been very poor in the past adding that it was now better.
While speaking on the capacity of the company to execute the project, Robert said that the company as an indigenous company had the capacity to complete the project.
In his words, “The difference between us and any other person across the globe is just about 0.5 per cent.
“Some foreign companies have the ability to go to their country and collect a loan to execute projects
“We don’t have those options. I believe that sometimes, the Senate will look into it and give powers to individual companies to do well and compete with the foreign companies.”
