text: The federal government has tasked Julius Berger (Nig.) Plc on the need to fast-track the completion of the rehabilitation of the 82-km Section II of the Abuja – Kaduna – Zaria – Kano dual carriageway in FCT, Kaduna, and Kano states.
  Government also tasked the engineering giant on the construction of the Bodo – Bonny road with bridges across the Opobo Channel, Route 430 in Rivers state.
  This charge was made by the Minister of Works, Sen. (Engr.) Nweze David Umahi, during a meeting with Julius Berger (Nig.) Plc, represented by its Executive Director, Projects, Engr. Banjamin Bott and the Head of Contract Management, Omonigho Brown at the ministry’s headquarters Mabushi, Abuja on October 3.
  According to a statement, Tuesday, signed by the Special Adviser (Media) to the Minister of Works, Hon. Barr. Orji Uchenna Orji, speaking during the meeting, the minister stated that the Federal Executive Council (FEC) at its meeting of 23rd September, 2024 approved the re-scoping and downward review of the contract for the rehabilitation of the Abuja – Kaduna – Zaria – Kano Dual carriageway in the FCT, Kaduna and Kano states, contract No. 6350.
  FEC also approved the revised estimated total cost/augmentation of the contract for the construction of Bodo-Bonny road with bridges across the Opobo channel, route 430 in Rivers state, contract No. 6247, amounting to a total contract sum of seven hundred and forty billion, seven hundred and ninety-seven million, two hundred and four thousand, seven hundred and thirteen naira, twenty five kobo (₦740,797,204,713. 25) and two hundred and eighty billion naira (₦280,000,000,000.00), respectively.
  He tasked the contractors handling Federal Government’s projects on the need for corporate nationalism in price negotiation in the face of the daunting economic challenges facing Nigeria.
  He said, “Then we have section II, which is 82 kilometers by two, which is the section that JBN Plc is working on. And so, if you check what FEC approved on 23rd of September, FEC had approved that the total contract sum within the scope of Berger would be ₦740 billion, which means that if you remove ₦391 billion paid already, you now have about ₦340 billion remaining, which is the scope of their work for the 164 kilometers.”
  He urged the contractor to mobilise in the four sections of the Abuja – Zaria – Kaduna – Kano project to finish the job within 14 months.
  “Engr. Umahi noted that the prices given on the said projects were the best in view of the economic reality of the time. So we are appealing to you not to try to increase the contract sum, because it will not be possible. And we have written to the President to approve that if JBN Plc does not accept the N740 billion, we will terminate the contract. We have terminated some of their jobs because we’ve been negotiating sometimes 12 months, 13 months. There must be an end to negotiation.
  “We are ready to pay you (JBN Plc) even fresh mobilisation, just to underscore the interest of the President on this project. So we are appealing and begging you that by Monday, you should be able to sign the addendum to the contract,” he said.
  He harped on the need for JBN Plc to mobilise in multiple locations of the two projects so as to complete them on a record time