The Federal Government on Wednesday terminated the contract for the reconstruction of the strategic 52.27 km Okene-Ajaokuta-Itobe dual carriageway in Kogi State, citing “unacceptable delays and dismal performance” by China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) Nigeria Limited.
Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, announced the decision after a marathon project review meeting on November 25, describing the situation as intolerable.
“Nigerians are suffering daily on these roads. We can no longer tolerate excuses,” Umahi told journalists.
Contract No. 7648, awarded to CCECC on November 18, 2022, recorded only 2.02 per cent physical progress despite a 146.92 per cent timeline overrun and receipt of a ₦2.5 billion advance payment. The termination was mutually agreed, but CCECC has been restricted to works equivalent to the advance payment and barred from further claims.
In the same sweep, four other contracts in Kogi State were cancelled, including the 85 km Lokoja-Shintaku-Dekina-Anyigba rehabilitation handled by TEC Engineering Nigeria Limited, which achieved just 1 per cent progress after a 188.92 per cent time overrun.
President Bola Tinubu has approved emergency funding and direct procurement to fast-track re-awarding of the failed sections. Invitations for expression of interest will be published within seven days, with the Ministry targeting full motorability of the corridors by the first quarter of 2026.
Contractors still on site have been handed non-negotiable December 2025 milestones, including a minimum of three kilometres of fresh asphalt overlay on viable sections.
The Okene-Ajaokuta-Itobe road remains a vital link between the Ajaokuta Steel Complex, Itakpe Iron Ore Mining Company, and the Abuja-Lokoja-Okene expressway, with its near-abandonment forcing commuters and heavy trucks onto dangerous detours for years.