Eben Enasco Reporting.
The Edo State government is cracking down on defaulting contractors across the state, warning them to meet quality standards or redo projects at their own cost.
The directive was delivered by the Special Adviser on Projects Implementation and Monitoring, Engineer Williams-Bello Phoebe, during an on-site inspection of two major road projects in the Edo South Senatorial District.
Speaking to journalists on the sidelines of the inspection, Phoebe made clear that Governor Monday Okpebholo’s administration operates a zero-tolerance policy on substandard work and that only projects meeting approved specifications would receive government acceptance.
She disclosed that the state government has launched a comprehensive monitoring exercise spanning all three senatorial districts — Edo North, Edo Central, and Edo South — to enforce uniformity and contractual compliance across all ongoing and completed projects.
“We want all contractors to know that my principal, Senator Monday Okpebholo, is very big on quality control. We have started curing on projects that have reached pavement level — the binder and the wearing course. There is no tolerance and no policy for substandard work,” Phoebe stated.
The Special Adviser emphasised that beyond enforcing construction standards, the exercise is designed to ensure the judicious use of public funds and guarantee long-term value for Edo residents.
Phoebe also put contractors on notice that any substandard delivery would trigger mandatory reconstruction, funded entirely by the defaulting contractor — not the state.
Addressing contractors yet to reach the pavement stage, she urged voluntary compliance before government inspectors arrived. “I want to use this medium to inform contractors whose projects have not reached the pavement stage to do the right thing. We do not want it to appear as though we are witch-hunting anyone when we ask you to sacrifice and redo the work,” she said.
The Special Adviser reaffirmed the administration’s commitment to accountability and professionalism in project execution, stressing that all infrastructure delivered under Governor Okpebholo must be durable, meet contractual benchmarks, and stand the test of time.
The monitoring exercise is part of broader efforts by the Okpebholo administration to align infrastructure delivery with its development agenda and improve the quality of life for citizens across Edo State.