Four years after the project was slated to be delivered but it was not, the Chairman of Senate Committee on Marine Transport; Senator Sanni Yerima has revealed that the contract for the construction of the Second Liverpool Bridge and the 400-capacity truck bay was being delayed because of N1.5billion government being owed the contractor.
The contract was awarded by the Federal Government through the Ministry of Works to Messrs Borni Prono Construction Company in 2009 at the cost of N8.6 billion, to ease the traffic congestion around the Tin Can Port.
It was expected to have been completed within the first quarter of 2012.
Speaking during an on-the-spot assessment of the project yesterday, Yerima who was accompanied by Chairman Senate Committee on Works; Senator Kabiru Gaya and other top executives of the Nigerian Ports Authority vowed that the contractor will be paid immediately.
He said that the project is already 95 per cent completed.
Yerima assured that the Senate committee is committed to making sure that the traffic problems bedevilling the Apapa ports is solved in the shortest time.
"What we did was to go and see the problems for ourselves, we are holding a meeting with the stakeholders, listen to them to see how best we can solve these problems quickly"
"We are considering short term plan, medium term plan and the long term which is the final of making sure that these problems (traffic) never comes back again."
"We have seen the car parks they are doing for trailers, one of the members of the committee who is now the chairman of works committee; Senator Gaya from Kano, called the Ministry of Works and found out that the contractor has already done 95 per cent and all he needs is payment, he has N1.5billion to be paid"
"You will see what will happen, we will go and pursue and make sure that the payment is made so that the place can be completed and at least in the short term, it will reduce traffic by directing all the trucks parked in that place, we are really going to work, it is not like before." he assured.
Yerima assured that if the contractor is paid immediately, he will go and complete the work.
Also speaking, Chairman Senate Committee on Works, Senator Kabiru Gaya corroborated that the contractor; Messrs Borni Prono is owed N1.5billion and that government is going to release the money.
Gaya said that the project is important to ease the traffic experienced by port users along the Tin Can corridor.
Shipping Position Daily gathered that Borni Prono had already been paid N7bn, but had applied for an upward review of the cost.
The contractor cited an increase in the cost of materials, including the depreciation of the exchange rate of the Naira since 2009.
However, new agreement has been signed.
The truck bay is to serve as a transit point for trucks entering the Tin Can Island Port and the bridge is meant to take trailer traffic off the road into the seaport, freeing the thoroughfares for other road users.
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