Minister orders arrest of contractor over Benin-Onitsha road delays

Nigeria's Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, has ordered the arrest of the Managing Director of Hartland Construction Company. The directive came after an on-the-spot inspection revealed significant delays and incomplete work on the Summit Junction-to-Head Bridge section of the Benin-Onitsha Expressway.

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Hartland, we paid them, and when I paid them that money, we reached an agreement: you are going to finish 11 kilometres from the Summit Junction to this bridge with the money I’m paying you… But today they have just done about 40% of the agreement. So I recalled the MD to discuss with him for them to come back to the site. I am going to look for him to arrest him; I’m going to arrest him. So, the controller, you look for the MD of Hartland and arrest him

Umahi expressed anger over the severe traffic congestion and hardship faced by commuters due to the slow progress. He stated that the Federal Government had paid the company to complete 11 kilometers of road and associated structures, but only approximately 40% of the agreed scope had been executed. "So I recalled the MD to discuss with him for them to come back to the site. I am going to look for him to arrest him; I’m going to arrest him," Umahi declared.

In addition to the arrest order, the minister instructed ministry directors to take punitive measures, including recovering funds and reviewing all payment certificates issued to Hartland Construction Company. "We are going to sanction Hartland; this is not acceptable," he emphasized, directing site engineers to immediately deploy stone base to critical failed sections to ease traffic flow.

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Look at the kind of mess we are having; even to do small filling on the road… look at the kind of traffic jam in this location because of the wickedness of our contractors, and they have to bring down all their payments and all the certificates.

Senator Umahi also issued a stern warning to Federal Controllers of Works nationwide. He stressed that project sites must not be allowed to deteriorate into impassable gridlocks, regardless of payment status. He highlighted that even minor repairs costing relatively small amounts could significantly alleviate public suffering.

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Let me give a sound warning to all our controllers: if a project is going on, whether there is payment or not, you cannot allow the situation of the road to be like this.