Umahi: FG To Deploy EFCC Against Contractors Hoarding Road Funds
The Federal Government has warned contractors handling its road projects that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) will be invited to recover funds released to them if such monies are not reflected in ongoing construction works.
The Minister of Works, Senator Dave Umahi, issued the warning on Wednesday during a press briefing in Abuja, saying the ministry would intensify supervision and site inspections to ensure that contractors execute projects in line with funds already released to them.
Umahi expressed concern that some contractors handling federal road projects were allegedly giving greater attention to projects awarded by state governments, stressing that the practice would no longer be tolerated.
He said, “From next week, any contractor that has their money and it’s not on site, we are going to call for the EFCC so that we recover the money.”
The minister added that contractors holding funds belonging to the Federal Government would be required to account for them, regardless of their connections or influence.
“If you have the money of the Federal Government, no matter who is behind you, you will either meet us with the EFCC or you meet us in your bank to recover the money,” he said.
According to Umahi, the ministry has commenced arrangements for aggressive monitoring and site visits to federal road projects nationwide.
He disclosed that the EFCC, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), civil society organisations and students had been alerted to participate in monitoring project execution.
The minister further said six Senior Special Assistants had been assigned to President Bola Tinubu for project visitation and supervision, with the Works Ministry expected to continue monitoring their activities.
He explained that the intensified supervision was also aimed at ensuring that contractors utilise funds already released to them before requesting additional funding from the government.
Umahi said the Federal Government was also restructuring projects previously funded under the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited’s tax-credit arrangement following the company’s transition to a private-sector-oriented operation and its decision to discontinue direct funding of federal projects under the previous scheme.
He noted that projects inherited under Executive Order 007 of 2019 had been moved into renewable infrastructure funding, with affected projects being rescoped and restructured.
“However, all the money that the contractors have in their hands, they must exhaust it to earn more money. So, we have rescoped the project; we have refaced it,” Umahi said.
The minister reiterated that the government would no longer tolerate contractors who collect project funds without mobilising to site, insisting that the level of work executed must correspond with the money released.
He also disclosed that the ministry was compiling an updated compendium of completed and ongoing federal road projects across the country, which would be published on its official website.
