Office of the Honourable Minister of Works
Press Release: February 26th, 2025
MTN and the Federal Ministry of Works met to review the quality and timely delivery of the Enugu-Onitha Expressway project, which MTN is funding under the tax credit scheme. The project’s completion date is set for May 10, 2026, as the Honorable Minister of Works urges manufacturers to quickly cut cement costs to N7,000 in view of the greater economic recovery brought about by Mr. President’s persistent reforms.
The Federal Ministry of Works met with MTN and RCC Company Nig Ltd on February 26th, 2025, at the Ministry’s headquarters in Mabushi-Abuja, to discuss MTN’s slow funding and execution of the Enugu-Onitsha Expressway under the Infrastructure Development and Refurbishment Investment (Tax Credit) Scheme. The following resolutions were adopted:
A – The Enugu-Onisha dual highway must be finished by May 10, 2026. B – MTN will be held accountable if the road fails after construction due to the contractor’s shoddy work. C – There will be no variations or VOP on the project, and RCC must note that in the future, the operation of VOP in their projects must follow the procedure outlined in the Conditions of Contract, rather than at the contractor’s whims and caprices. D – MTN should not sacrifice their responsibilities to fund the project on the altar of MTN’s economic profit, as this may knowingly or unknowingly impede the project’s timely delivery and negatively impact the public view of the government’s willingness to ensure the project’s logical conclusion.
5- There must be a written promise between MTN and the Federal Ministry of Works that this offer is based on the terms outlined below. There must be a commitment since the longer the job takes, the more variety there is.
2. The Honourable Minister of State for Works, Rt. Hon. Mohammad Bello Goronyo Esq., the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Works, Engr. O.O. Adebiyi, as well as representatives from MTN, the Managing Director of RCC Company Nig Ltd. and his team, and the Honourable Minister of Works, His Excellency, Sen. Engr. Nweze David Umahi, CON, spoke during the meeting and reaffirmed the Federal Ministry of Works’ unwavering commitment to ensuring that the contractor handling the project, in this case MTN, is made to ensure quality and timely delivery of the project.
He questioned why an MTN representative could travel so far as to suggest that the Federal Ministry of Works’ order for RCC Ltd to cease utilizing materials that could compromise the project’s quality was tantamount to sabotaging Mr. President’s South East initiatives. He stated: “We must correct the record that this ministry is in charge of making sure contractors provide high-quality work.
Additionally, MTN is the contractor in this instance. He described his numerous inspection trips to contractors’ project sites and how this prompted them to prepare for guaranteeing both project delivery speed and quality. “We went through what MTN was doing,” he remarked in reference to the Enugu-Onitsha Expressway project. We found that they were doing the work with peeling sand. I work as an engineer.
I don’t have a degree in history. I have worked in the profession my entire life and am a fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers. In accordance with the general terms of the contract, we also instructed that they cease utilizing this type of sand and return to using the river sand that we had paid for.
3. The Honourable Minister stressed the need for RCC Nig Ltd to follow the rules when it comes to project variations. He condemned the circumstance in which RCC could complete a N38 billion job while demanding a VOP of N14 billion, and vowed that such indulgence by contractors in the pretext of inflation would not be accepted in future.
He used the medium to request that cement manufacturers, which is a key component in the construction industry, particularly in the use of Continuously Reinforced Concrete Pavement, reduce the cost of cement to N7,000, as the price of the dollar has dropped dramatically, the cost of gasoline is falling, and Mr. President is working to fix the road.
He replied, “I’m glad that Mr. President’s initiatives are working. A dollar is currently worth approximately N1,400. And let me take this occasion to convey my discontent with the expense of cement.Our contractors phoned and said they wanted to go back to asphalt. We are using this means to inform cement makers that at the time, the dollar was nearly N2,000, and they boosted cement prices from N7,500.
Why should cement sell for N9,500 now that the President has stabilized the currency at around N1400 and it is still declining? We are asking cement makers to reduce the cost of cement to N7,000. If they don’t do it within one week, I’ll have to file an official complaint with Mr. President.”
4. In separate remarks, the Honourable Minister of State for Works and the Permanent Secretary Federal Ministry of Works established the Federal Ministry of Works’ stance on policies that would not only expedite job execution but also ensure value for money and high-quality project outcomes. They asked the contractor to work with the new paradigm established by the Renewed Hope administration to complete the Enugu-Onisha dual-carriageway on schedule so that Mr. President could commission it for public usage.
In his vote of gratitude, the representative of MTN indicated MTN’s willingness to work toward completing the project within the agreed-upon timetable.
Hon. Barr. Orji Uchenna Orji
Special Adviser ( Media) to the Honourable Minister of Works
