Kogi Govt ‘ll Not Accept Shoddy Jobs, Ododo Warns Contractors

Ibrahim Oyewale in Lokoja

Kogi State Government has warned the contractor handling the construction of the new Lokoja ultra-modern market, Sazak Acres Blague Company Limited (SABC), to work according to the contract specifications, as it would not accept any shoddy jobs.

The state Governor, Usman Ododo, gave this warning while speaking at the handing and taking over of the proposed site for the Lokoja Ultra Modem Market on Hassan Katsina Road in Lokoja, the state capital yesterday.

Governor Ododo explained that in line with his administration developmental strides agenda, the government has acquired a total of 25 hectares of land for the relocation of the new market at Nataco junction, which was considered as threat to lives of the people of the state.

He explained that no responsible government would want to see the citizens afflicted with preventable accidents and it attendant carnage in the area.

The governor, who was represented by the state Commissioner for Housing and Urban Developments , Abanika Taiye, stated that the market, when completed, would attract more development to the area and boost the state economic activities.

Ododo noted that the contract process went through a rigorous bidding and a company emerged, noting that  this necessitated the handing over of the site to the contractor, SABC Limited .

He added that the multi-million naira project would be completed in the next 36 months, admonishing the contractor that the state government would not accept shoddy jobs.

Also speaking on the project, the Kogi State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Mr. Kingsley Fanwo, said the project is the last leg of the Lokoja Urban Renewal Project (LURP).

According to him, the administration of Usman Ododo is committed to ensuring that Lokoja looks like a 21st century state capital.

“Governor Usman Ododo is committed to ensuring that we have a capital city that is safe, beautiful and ready for business. The previous administration succeeded in having a single motor park for the capital city which is quite commendable.

“The Ododo administration is also committed to ensuring that all the seven smaller markets in Lokoja are brought under one roof through the new Lokoja Ultra-Modern Market. This will help us in having a cleaner and safer Lokoja.

“Those who conceived the international market didn’t know that Lokoja will grow big and become Nigeria’s connecting point. We have recorded a lot of accidents and Nigerians have lost so many loved ones because it was located at the intersection of two major roads.

“The Kogi State Government will move all the markets to the new Ultra-Modern Market and convert the present international market to Government Warehouses and Commodity Exchange Commission.”

Fanwo said the government of Kogi State is ready to leverage the strategic location of the state for maximum commercial benefits, saying the Ultra-Modern Market will turn Kogi State to the commercial hub of Nigeria when completed.

“It’s not like the normal market that Nigerians are used to”, he said, maintaining that “the model will be copied by many other states.”

Responding, the contractor, Mr. Abdulrazak Adio, promised that the management of SABC Limited would not let down the state government, noting that the company will work to satisfy the specification of the contract.