…Lagos/Shagamu Expressway, others
…BPP DG Ahmadu tells lawmakers that company duly bidded for the projects, contrary
to the position of the committee
The Director-General of the Bureau for Public Procurement, Mr Mamman Ahmadu, in Abuja on
Tuesday corroborated the position of Julius Berger Managing Director, Engr. Dr. Lars Richter, that
the nation’s leading and most dependable engineering construction company was awarded the top
priority projects, namely, 2
nd
Niger Bridge, Lagos-Shagamu Expressway and Abuja-Kano Road based
on due process of award by the government. Ahmadu said Julius Berger duly bidded for the projects,
contrary to the position of the Works Committee.
The House of Representatives Committee on Works and Director General of the Bureau for
Public Procurement (BPP), Mamman Ahmadu has disagreed on the modalities for awarding the 400
Abuja- Kaduna-Kano road contract to Julius Berger. While the Committee insisted that the
construction giant got the contract without bidding for it as required by law, the BPP boss said due
process was followed in the award of the contract as Julius Berger duly bided for the contract.
It would be recalled that the Managing Director of Julius Berger Nigeria Plc, Engr. Dr. Lars Richter
appeared before the House of Representatives Committee on Works last week, and asserted that
the company was properly awarded the contracts for the three top priority projects of the Federal
Government, following due process of procurent for the works.
Mamman Ahmadu also submitted that several issues were evaluated in the award of the three major
contracts of the government to the company. He said part of the consideration was the quality of work
expected to be delivered by the finally chosen contractor. The DG said: “The Lagos-Ibadan project
was conceived as public-private partnership, but no performance from the concessioner. It
was awarded during Jonathan’s time and because of poor performance, it was re-awarded.
The Second Niger Bridge, likewise started as BPP project, but failed to perform and it was
converted to a contract financed by government and started by Julius Berger. Abuja Kaduna
Kano was initiated to open competitive bidding and was later given out too. It was much later
because budgetary provisions was not coming regularly and government took it up to
finance,” he said.
A member of the Committee Rep. Mark Gbillah had exercised his privilege to disagree with the BPP
DG, saying the Abuja-Kaduna- Zaria-Kano road, began as open competitive bidding and sought to
know the procurement process by which the project was awarded to Julius Berger. The lawmaker
demanded to know the justification for which Julius Berger was awarded the contract, since,
according to him, the company was not part of the initial process. Another Legislator, Hon. Bello
Kaoje, questioned the rationale behind the BPP awarding roads more than 400 kilometers to a single
contractor. Responding, the BPP boss said communities where the strategic projects are sited also
preferred the company to handle the projects.
On the essential parameter of quality of final project delivery, Ahmadu said Julius Berger came
strongly preferred for the projects. According to the BPP helmsman, “Quality is very important, so
specification and quality requirement was considered…. In fact, at the time this project came,
Julius Berger said if they were allowed to do the road that they will ensure road maintenance
for 30 years and minimum maintenance for a few years thereafter.
Ahmadu, at a lighter moment during the public hearing also drew the attention of the lawmakers to the
outstanding quality of Julius Berger’s works within the National Assembly complex, saying: “For
instance, the National Assembly should also take note, you have three blocks here and the
ones built by Julius Berger, see how they are still clean, and the ones built by others are going
bad and need maintenance.”
