Road Construction: Julius Berger, RCC’s expressway construction contracts illegal

Bi-Courtney Highway Services Limited expresses grievances concerning the award of road project to other contractors.

Reconstruction project on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway has sparked up a controversy between the Federal Government and contractors.

Bi-Courtney Highway Services Limited is reported to have protested the award of reconstruction contracts to Julius Berger Plc and Reynolds Construction Company (Nigeria) Limited by the Federal Government, saying that it is illegal.

It blamed the government of former President Goodluck Jonathan for the delay the project had suffered, further stating that was the basis for challenging the government’s decision to terminate its contract in the first place.

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Baring its mind on the illegality associated with the project, the company states, “The purported concession granted to Motorways Assets Limited through the Infrastructure Bank did not go through any due process. It was never advertised in newspapers in Nigeria. The Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission Act expressly provides that concessions in Nigeria must be advertised in two national newspapers.”

“Furthermore, the Infrastructure Concession and Regulatory Commission must issue a no-objection approval before the concession is then taken to the Federal Executive Council for approval. None of these elementary steps was taken.”

The company attributed the delay in executing its concession contract to the inability to get the project design approved on time by the Federal Ministry of Works, adding that the ICRC attested to this in its report.