The Federal Government has warned contractors handling federal projects to return to their sites or risk action by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and recovery of funds paid to them.
Minister of Works David Umahi issued the warning on Wednesday in Abuja, saying the government would no longer tolerate contractors who collect mobilization funds but fail to execute projects.
Umahi said some contractors handling federal projects had been giving greater attention to state government contracts despite receiving funds for federal jobs.
He said the Ministry of Works had rescoped and rephased several projects to make them more realistic and improve delivery, adding that contractors already holding government funds must use them for the projects before receiving further payments.
“From next week, any contractor that has got their money and is not on site, we are going to call for the EFCC so that we can recover the money,” he said.
The minister also warned contractors against using political connections to avoid their contractual obligations.
He said the government had strengthened project monitoring, with the EFCC, Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), civil society organizations, and student groups involved in site inspections.
The Federal Ministry of Works has previously opened its projects to scrutiny by the EFCC and ICPC as part of efforts to strengthen transparency and accountability in project execution.
Umahi said the government was determined to ensure that contractors delivered projects for which public funds had been released, stressing that increased infrastructure spending would only benefit Nigerians if projects were completed.
