Moniya-Iseyin Road: ‘We Have No Excuse Not To Deliver Within One Year’ – Contractor

The contractor handling the construction of the 65 kilometers Moniya-Iseyin road, KOPEK Construction Company has hinted that there was no excuse for the company not to complete the project within the time frame mandated by the governor of Oyo State, Engr. Seyi Makinde.

The road contract was revoked after being abandoned by the former contractor and in November 2019 re-awarded with the completion time frame of one year.

The Project Manager, KOPEK Construction Company, Engr. Paul Chamoun while answering questions from journalists on Friday in Ibadan, said the company had resumed work immediately after new year yuletide and the first work done was to fill all notable craters and potholes while concrete works like culverts and line drainages were ongoing.

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He said the most difficult part of the project were being concentrated upon in the time being as laying of stone base and asphalt would be the simplest work.

“According to what the governor told us and our own planning, we are to finish the project in one year and we are doing all in our programs to achieve that, by the grace of God, if we do not have any unforeseen challenge, we will deliver on time.

“We thank God there is zero challenge for now, we are doing our best, even more than expected, we do not have any difficulty for now, that means no excuse not to deliver the project to time, I can promise you that we shall deliver.

“Immediately we resumed from the new year break, we started mobilization and you can see that the part from the town here in Ibadan, which is the beginning of the project is where we are working on the concrete, the culvert, line drainage, retaining walls among others.

“The percentage of work to be covered will increase rapidly after all these preliminary works are concluded and we start asphaltic laying, we will not disappoint the people and the government,” he noted.

The State Commissioner for Works and Transport, Prof. Raphael Afonja in his response, said the present administration took immediate step to re-award the road project after revoking the contract with the former contractor to ease the pain of the people plying the road and communities along the way.

He stated that government realized the importance of the road as the link between Ibadan, the State capital and Oke-Ogun, which was noted to be ‘food basket’ of the State, adding that economic growth of the State through agriculture would be maximized when the road is completed.

“The road has been one of the most important roads that the present administration put keen interest on and that is why it was re-awarded immediately due to the fact that we noticed the professional inadequacies of the former contractor.

“We also enjoin the people of the State to please keep faith with the administration of Governor Seyi Makinde whose only interest is to serve and create enabling environment for the people to grow their investment and live comfortably, this is seen in all facets of human life like health, workers’ welfare, education, public infrastructures among others,” he said