Senate queries partial handover of Lagos Airport terminal project

Posted by admin Legislature, Senate Friday, November 23rd, 2012

THE Senate Committee on Aviation Friday visited the various project sites under remodelling at the Murtala Mohammed Airport (MMA), Lagos, and expressed dissatisfaction with some of the level of work done so far by the ministry.

Leading the committee to Lagos was its Chairman, Senator Hope Uzodinma while the Permanent Secretary, Miss Ann Ene-Ita led the government delegation.

Some of the areas visited by the team were the recently commissioned General Aviation Terminal (GAT), the power house of the airport, TRACON site of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), and Arik Air.

At the GAT, Senator Uzodinma queried the partial handover of the project by the contractors when it was not yet completed.

But the contractor, Archivisual Solution Limited said that the partial handing over was part of the agreement entered with the government in the interest of the flying public.

The members also requested for the drawing of both the old and new terminal from the contractors and the consultant.

The committee further enquired about the cost implication of the conveyor belts, the air conditioning, the tiles, bill of quantity and other procured materials for the project, which the contractors and consultants could not provide the visiting committee.

The committee, however, commended the quality of the installed conveyor belts, but urged the contractors to speed up its completion.

The committee also challenged the consultants to do adequate supervision of the works done to justify its pay and threatened to call for refunds if the work was not well done by the contractors.

“We need to get pertinent information from you (contractors). We need to know how much was set aside for each component at this airport. For instance, we asked for the cost set aside for the conveyor belts, you could not provide it. This is a very important aspect of the project, which we feel you should have at the back of your hands.

“Again, the project design is very important for us. We need to know if what you are building is in conformity with what you have in the design project. We need to know the quality of work done and how they were executed,” Uzodinma stressed.

Besides, the committee commended the ministry for handing over the remodelling works to indigenous contractors, but said they should be supervised to ensure quality works.

Responding on behalf of the contractors, a personnel of Arbico Plc, a contractor handling an aspect of GAT, said that the company had been mobilised to the tune of 85 per cent and promised to tighten all the loopholes observed by the committee.

The contractors said that the project was initially billed to be completed in six months, but was delayed due to the enormity of jobs being done on the terminal.

The contractor, however, promised to handover a complete terminal to the government in the next few weeks.
Via punchwp_posts