NLNG Indicates Interest to Extend Bodo-Bonny Road to East West Road
Nigeria LNG Limited has indicated an interest in connecting the Bodo-Bonny Road project in Rivers State to East-West Road to maximize the economic potential of the area.
This was made known when a delegation of NLNG, led by its MD/ CEO, Dr Philip Mshelbilla, paid the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, a visit in his office in Abuja earlier this week.
The Bodo-Bonny Road project which is funded by the NLNG as a part of a tripartite agreement between the Federal Government, the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas and Julius Berger Nigeria Plc, is remaining 16 per cent to completion.
“We have indicated an interest in pursuing the extension of that road from Bodo so that it connects to the East-West Road. That way you then have a complete corridor of major roads connecting to East-West Road, rather than ending in Bodo,” Mshelbilla stated.
However, the contractor of the projects, Julius Berger Nigeria Plc, abandoned the project for some months after the other parties to the tripartite agreement failed to honour its request to increase the contract sum of the project.
Speaking on Julius Berger Nigeria Plc’s request for an increment in the contract sum, the MD/CEO of NLNG assured that everything possible would be done to complete the road on time as provided under the agreement bearing in mind the concerns of the contractor handling the project.
He said: “With regards to coming back to the Bonny Bodo road, we see two parts to it, the main road itself.
We are looking forward to that being completed on time. We have had commitments in the past from the contractor around its completion and we do understand that there are concerns around what is happening in the economy now”
On the issue of Julius Berger Nigeria Plc’s request for an increase in the contract sum, Minister Umahi maintained that the Federal Government would not grant the increment the contractor seeks as it goes against the contract they signed.
However, the minister said that the Federal Government may release funds to the contractor from contingency funds on compassionate grounds, without necessarily expanding the contract envelope.
Umahi said: “I discovered by the letters of JB that they have abandoned the site, and that’s against the contract they signed, even if they needed to leave the site, the general conditions of the contract specify the procedures for notices in such a circumstance
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“Well, we have discussed with them and I said, we are going to look at the remaining 16% on compassionate ground and see whether there is any merit, and we can see if there is any money left in the contingency, but definitely will not expand the envelope.
“Expanding the envelope means you are going back to your Board. Expanding the envelope means my going back to Federal Inland Revenue, going back to BPP, going back to Mr. President, going back to Federal Executive Council. So it’s a long journey, and that will not allow that project to be completed as planned”.
