The Governor Monday Okpebholo-led administration has read the riot act to contractors handling infrastructure projects in Edo State warning that all works must be durable, meet contractual benchmarks, and stand the test of time otherwise they would face the consequences.
Directing them to strictly comply with approved quality control standards, the government warned that they would be made to undertake mandatory reconstruction of such projects at their own expense.
Nesmata.com.ng reports that the government’s position was emphasised by the Special Adviser to the governor on Projects Implementation and Monitoring, Williams-Bello Phoebe, during an on-site inspection of two major road projects on Wednesday in the Edo South Senatorial District.
Speaking to journalists on the sidelines of the inspection, Williams-Bello, an engineer, declared that Governor Okpebholo’s administration operates a zero-tolerance policy on substandard work and that only projects meeting approved specifications would receive government’s acceptance.
To this effect, she disclosed that the state government has launched a comprehensive monitoring exercise spanning all three senatorial districts — Edo North, Edo Central, and Edo South — to enforce uniformity and contractual compliance across all ongoing and completed projects.
“We want all contractors to know that my principal, Senator Monday Okpebholo, is very big on quality control. We have started curing on projects that have reached pavement level — the binder and the wearing course. There is no tolerance and no policy for substandard work,” Phoebe stated.
The special adviser emphasised that beyond enforcing construction standards, the exercise was designed to ensure the judicious use of public funds and guarantee long-term value for Edo residents.
Phoebe also put contractors on notice that any substandard delivery would trigger mandatory reconstruction, funded entirely by the defaulting contractor — not the state.
Addressing contractors yet to reach the pavement stage, she urged voluntary compliance before government’s inspectors arrived. “I want to use this medium to inform contractors whose projects have not reached the pavement stage to do the right thing. We do not want it to appear as though we are witch-hunting anyone when we ask you to scarify and redo the work,” she said.
She reaffirmed the administration’s commitment to accountability and professionalism in project execution, stressing that all infrastructure delivered under Governor Okpebholo must be durable, meet contractual benchmarks, and stand the test of time.
The monitoring exercise was part of broader efforts by the Okpebholo administration to align infrastructure delivery with its development agenda and improve the quality of life for citizens across Edo State.