Fed Govt Pays Over N150b to Construction Firms

• Fed Govt Pays Over N150b to Construction Firms

The Federal Government has paid over half of the N300 billion which was owed to the Federation of Construction Industry (FOCI).

Speaking in Abuja yesterday at FOCI’s 62nd Annual General Meeting (AGM), FOCI President, Nasiru Dantata, confirmed the payment.

Dantata said the payment made it possible for the member companies to resume work on several roads across the country.

He also said the government has contracted some new key projects to member companies.

Dantata who is also the Executive Director, Dantata & Sawoe Construction Co., blamed lack of skilled and trained workers who can perform required tasks for growing unemployment in the country.

He said this was the reason why construction companies are reluctant to hire graduates.

“The issue is finding capable hands because we don’t have as many trained professionals as we would like to at the moment.

“I am not saying that Nigerian universities turnouts are not employable, but we are not only looking for graduates. We employ few engineers, but many artisans. So it is the issue of artisans: masons, carpenters, and operators of heavy-duty machineries.

“We are looking into training Nigerians so that when construction companies are expanding, we will be able to find skilled hands for the jobs,”he said.

Speaking on bad roads and collapsing infrastructure, Dantata exonerated FOCI and assured that the companies under the industry’s umbrella are competent contractors with enough hands and equipment to execute projects.

He said: “If we build a house for 10 people and you allow 100 people to use it, you should not ask the builder what happened when it goes bad.

“Most of the roads our members have built in Abuja have been around for over 30 years, and the only way they might fail is through aging and cracking, but you won’t see potholes occurring.