LAGOS LAWMAKERS VISIT WATERFRONT PROJECT SITES, THREATEN TO SANCTION ERRING CONTRACTORS

The Lagos Assembly House Committee on Waterfront Infrastructure Development, on Tuesday, embarked on an inspection of projects being implemented by the State Waterfront Ministry.

Led by Hon. Olumuyiwa Jimoh, the House Committee on Waterfront visited the projects around the Amuwo-Odofin and Badagry areas of the State.

The lawmakers, who were not happy with the pace of work done so far, threatened to call for sanction against contractors who have collected money from the government to execute projects but failed to deliver on them.

Speaking during the visit, Hon. Jimoh explained that the oversight had helped to reveal some areas that needed further examination.

The Committee expressed its displeasure at a particular Contractor, Cosmos Forum Nigeria Limited, who was reportedly awarded contracts in 2017 including to construct a Jetty with waiting shelter and shoreline protection in Badagry, a Jetty with waiting shelter and shoreline protection in Ilado and two other projects.

The Committee noted that none of the projects had been completed.

The Committee further lamented that the project site situated at Ilado had already been illegally converted to a betting centre by the youths in the area.

According to the Committee, Cosmos Forum Nigeria Limited had been invited on several occasions, but the company had refused to honour the invitation.

“We are not impressed with what we have seen as a lot of contractors are lackadaisical with how they have expended government’s funds and the House of Assembly will not tolerate such.

“Contracts that were awarded since March 2017 have not been completed and these are projects were supposed to be completed within 10 months after they were awarded but the contractors are hiding under the COVID-19 pandemic,” Hon. Jimoh lamented.

He said the House of Assembly would take appropriate steps by sanctioning some of the contractors even if it would result to revoking some of the projects and making them refund a certain percentage of the money they have received from the government.

Hon. Jimoh, however, commended some contractors met at the sites of other waterfront projects saying some of them have done well with the level of implementation so far.

The Chairman was accompanied by a member of the Committee, Hon Rotimi Abiru.