Umahi orders contractors back to work, vows tough action on coastal highway vandalism
The Minister of Works, Senator Dave Umahi, has issued a stern directive to contractors holding Advance Payment Guarantees (APG) without executing projects, ordering them to return to site immediately or risk forfeiting further payments.
At the same time, he condemned acts of vandalism on the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway and vowed strict prosecution of offenders.
Senator Umahi described it as unacceptable for contractors to retain Federal Government funds for years while demanding payment certificates without deploying them to work. “It is not done anywhere.
“I will not pay your certificates if you are still holding our money for the past four or five years and want me to continue to pay,” he said.
Umahi also emphasised that keeping government funds in banks while submitting large payment certificates “will not be tolerated.”
During an inspection of the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway, Umahi also raised concerns about vandalism, including cutting metal fences, opening manholes, and dumping refuse on the road.
He thanked the Lagos State commissioner of police and the Inspector-General of Police for deploying patrol vehicles to secure the project and pledged additional support from the Federal Ministry of Works in the form of fuel and allowances for patrol operations.
“Anyone caught vandalising government property should be charged to court immediately.
”We have a seven-man Senior Advocate of Nigeria team that will handle any litigation concerning this project,” he said.
Temporary measures will be put in place to seal open manholes to prevent further misuse, and residents were urged to take ownership of the project and protect public infrastructure.
Umahi further reiterated that the administration is committed to accountability, transparency, and rebuilding critical infrastructure.
He cited key economic indicators, including Naira stability, foreign reserves of about $49 billion, and inflation reduction to about 15 percent, as signs of Nigeria’s economic recovery under President Bola Tinubu.
“We are doing everything possible to deliver quality work. We may not be perfect, but we are giving our best engineering effort.
“Contractors must resume work immediately, and Nigerians should support the ongoing efforts to develop our nation, ” he said.
