The Federal Government has warned contractors handling federal projects that they risk action by anti-corruption agencies if they abandon sites after receiving mobilisation payments.
Minister of Works, David Umahi, issued the warning on Wednesday in Abuja while briefing journalists on the government's efforts to accelerate the implementation of federal infrastructure projects.
Umahi said the government would no longer tolerate contractors who collect public funds but fail to deploy the money to the projects for which it was released.
He specifically warned contractors who prioritise state government projects over federal assignments after receiving mobilisation funds for federal jobs.
The minister said the government had rescoped and re-phased several projects to make them more realistic and improve their chances of completion. Contractors who had already received funds, he said, would be expected to use the money at their respective project sites.
Umahi warned that contractors who had received federal funds but were not on site from the following week would face action by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and other relevant authorities to recover the money.
He said contractors would not be allowed to rely on political connections or pressure from stakeholders to avoid their contractual obligations.
The minister said the government had begun a more aggressive monitoring system involving the EFCC, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, civil society organisations and student groups.
He said the monitoring would include site visits and supervision to establish whether contractors were executing projects for which public funds had been released.
Umahi said contractors holding government funds would either return to their project sites and execute their obligations or face efforts to recover the money.
The Federal Government's position comes amid increased scrutiny of public infrastructure projects and concerns over abandoned or delayed contracts.
Government lists projects under implementation
The minister listed a number of projects he said had either been completed or were nearing completion.
They included sections of the Kano-Maiduguri Road, Keffi-Mararaba Road, Lafia bypass, Bonny Island Road and the Obajana Junction concrete pavement project on the Lokoja-Benin corridor.
Other projects mentioned were the Danbatta-Demesu Road, Gombe-Bauchi Road rehabilitation, the Azare axis linking Jigawa and Bauchi, Apapa five-span bridge, Eke-Obinagu 23-span flyover in Enugu, the 75-metre Tizm Bridge and the Sagamu Interchange-Iperu Junction Road.
Umahi also defended the Federal Government's infrastructure record in the South-East, arguing that the region was receiving a significant number of federal projects under the current administration.
He said the projects demonstrated what he described as the integration of the South-East into the national development agenda.
The minister called for cooperation across political and regional lines, saying the increased infrastructure spending would only produce meaningful results if contractors completed the projects for which they had received public funds.
Tougher oversight of public projects
The planned involvement of anti-corruption agencies represents a tougher approach to monitoring federal construction contracts.
Umahi said the government had alerted the EFCC and ICPC, while civil society groups and students were also expected to participate in monitoring project execution.
The Federal Government's warning follows broader calls for public accountability in the award and execution of government contracts.
The Bureau of Public Procurement has separately urged civil society organisations to go beyond monitoring contract awards and track whether projects and services promised to Nigerians are ultimately delivered.
For contractors, the government says the message is clear: receiving mobilisation funds creates an obligation to execute the corresponding federal project, and failure to do so could trigger efforts to recover public money and possible investigation by anti-corruption agencies.
Minister of Works, David Umahi, issued the warning on Wednesday in Abuja while briefing journalists on the government's efforts to accelerate the implementation of federal infrastructure projects.
Umahi said the government would no longer tolerate contractors who collect public funds but fail to deploy the money to the projects for which it was released.
He specifically warned contractors who prioritise state government projects over federal assignments after receiving mobilisation funds for federal jobs.
The minister said the government had rescoped and re-phased several projects to make them more realistic and improve their chances of completion. Contractors who had already received funds, he said, would be expected to use the money at their respective project sites.
Umahi warned that contractors who had received federal funds but were not on site from the following week would face action by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and other relevant authorities to recover the money.
He said contractors would not be allowed to rely on political connections or pressure from stakeholders to avoid their contractual obligations.
The minister said the government had begun a more aggressive monitoring system involving the EFCC, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, civil society organisations and student groups.
He said the monitoring would include site visits and supervision to establish whether contractors were executing projects for which public funds had been released.
Umahi said contractors holding government funds would either return to their project sites and execute their obligations or face efforts to recover the money.
The Federal Government's position comes amid increased scrutiny of public infrastructure projects and concerns over abandoned or delayed contracts.
Government lists projects under implementation
The minister listed a number of projects he said had either been completed or were nearing completion.
They included sections of the Kano-Maiduguri Road, Keffi-Mararaba Road, Lafia bypass, Bonny Island Road and the Obajana Junction concrete pavement project on the Lokoja-Benin corridor.
Other projects mentioned were the Danbatta-Demesu Road, Gombe-Bauchi Road rehabilitation, the Azare axis linking Jigawa and Bauchi, Apapa five-span bridge, Eke-Obinagu 23-span flyover in Enugu, the 75-metre Tizm Bridge and the Sagamu Interchange-Iperu Junction Road.
Umahi also defended the Federal Government's infrastructure record in the South-East, arguing that the region was receiving a significant number of federal projects under the current administration.
He said the projects demonstrated what he described as the integration of the South-East into the national development agenda.
The minister called for cooperation across political and regional lines, saying the increased infrastructure spending would only produce meaningful results if contractors completed the projects for which they had received public funds.
Tougher oversight of public projects
The planned involvement of anti-corruption agencies represents a tougher approach to monitoring federal construction contracts.
Umahi said the government had alerted the EFCC and ICPC, while civil society groups and students were also expected to participate in monitoring project execution.
The Federal Government's warning follows broader calls for public accountability in the award and execution of government contracts.
The Bureau of Public Procurement has separately urged civil society organisations to go beyond monitoring contract awards and track whether projects and services promised to Nigerians are ultimately delivered.
For contractors, the government says the message is clear: receiving mobilisation funds creates an obligation to execute the corresponding federal project, and failure to do so could trigger efforts to recover public money and possible investigation by anti-corruption agencies.
Filed under
#Federal Government
#David Umahi
#EFCC
#ICPC
#Contractors
#Abandoned Projects
#Infrastructure
#Public Funds
#Nigeria
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Summary
The Federal Government has warned contractors who collect mobilisation funds but fail to return to federal project sites that they risk EFCC and ICPC action, including recovery of public funds. The Federal Government has warned contractors handling federal projects that they risk action by anti-corruption agencies if they abandon sites after receiving mobilisation payments.Minister of Works, David Umahi,...
Key takeaways
- The Federal Government has warned contractors who collect mobilisation funds but fail to return to federal project sites that they risk EFCC and ICPC action, including recovery of public funds.
- The Federal Government has warned contractors handling federal projects that they risk action by anti-corruption agencies if they abandon sites after receiving mobilisation payments.Minister of Works, David Umahi, issued the warning on Wednesday in Abuja while briefing journalists on the government's efforts to accelerate the implementation of federal infrastructure projects.Umahi said the government would no longer tolerate contractors who collect public funds but fail to deploy the money to the projects for which it was released.He specifically warned contractors who prioritise state government projects over federal assignments after receiving mobilisation funds for federal jobs.The minister said the government had rescoped and re-phased several projects to make them more realistic and improve their chances of completion.
- Contractors who had already received funds, he said, would be expected to use the money at their respective project sites.Umahi warned that contractors who had received federal funds but were not on site from the following week would face action by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and other relevant authorities to recover the money.He said contractors would not be allowed to rely on political connections or pressure from stakeholders to avoid their contractual obligations.The minister said the government had begun a more aggressive monitoring system involving the EFCC, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, civil society organisations and student groups.He said the monitoring would include site visits and supervision to establish whether contractors were executing projects for which public funds had been released.Umahi said contractors holding government funds would either return to their project sites and execute their obligations or face efforts to recover the money.The Federal Government's position comes amid increased scrutiny of public infrastructure projects and concerns over abandoned or delayed contracts.Government lists projects under implementationThe minister listed a number of projects he said had either been completed or were nearing completion.They included sections of the Kano-Maiduguri Road, Keffi-Mararaba Road, Lafia bypass, Bonny Island Road and the Obajana Junction concrete pavement project on the Lokoja-Benin corridor.Other projects mentioned were the Danbatta-Demesu Road, Gombe-Bauchi Road rehabilitation, the Azare axis linking Jigawa and Bauchi, Apapa five-span bridge, Eke-Obinagu 23-span flyover in Enugu, the 75-metre Tizm Bridge and the Sagamu Interchange-Iperu Junction Road.Umahi also defended the Federal Government's infrastructure record in the South-East, arguing that the region was receiving a significant number of federal projects under the current administration.He said the projects demonstrated what he described as the integration of the South-East into the national development agenda.The minister called for cooperation across political and regional lines, saying the increased infrastructure spending would only produce meaningful results if contractors completed the projects for which they had received public funds.Tougher oversight of public projectsThe planned involvement of anti-corruption agencies represents a tougher approach to monitoring federal construction contracts.Umahi said the government had alerted the EFCC and ICPC, while civil society groups and students were also expected to participate in monitoring project execution.The Federal Government's warning follows broader calls for public accountability in the award and execution of government contracts.The Bureau of Public Procurement has separately urged civil society organisations to go beyond monitoring contract awards and track whether projects and services promised to Nigerians are ultimately delivered.For contractors, the government says the message is clear: receiving mobilisation funds creates an obligation to execute the corresponding federal project, and failure to do so could trigger efforts to recover public money and possible investigation by anti-corruption agencies.
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The Federal Government has warned contractors who collect mobilisation funds but fail to return to federal project sites that they risk EFCC and ICPC action, including recovery of public funds. The Federal Government has warned contractors handling federal projects that they risk action by anti-corruption agencies if they abandon sites after receiving mobilisation payments.Minister of Works, David Umahi,...
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Glow 99.1 FM published this story with GlowRy Atuah listed as author.
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October 8, 2026
