The Ebonyi State Government has ordered the immediate confiscation of substandard construction materials discovered at the Ogbaga Road project site in Ebonyi Local Government Area.
This is even as the government also directed the contractor handling the project to suspend work until full compliance with approved engineering designs and specifications is guaranteed.
The directive came during a statewide inspection of ongoing infrastructure projects by the Commissioner for Project Monitoring and Evaluation, Sunday Inyima.
Speaking during the inspection, Inyima accused some contractors of using inferior construction materials to undermine the infrastructure development agenda of Governor Francis Nwifuru’s administration.
He described the practice as economic sabotage and warned that the government would no longer tolerate poor-quality construction on public projects across the state.
“From all indications, we may have to conduct future inspections with security personnel because the arrest of defaulting contractors at project sites is becoming inevitable,” Inyima said.
The commissioner stressed that any contractor found violating approved construction standards would face arrest, prosecution, and other sanctions under the state’s project monitoring guidelines.
He directed officials to confiscate all substandard materials found at the Ogbaga Road project site. He ordered the contractor to stop work until a formal commitment is made to execute the project according to approved specifications.
While expressing disappointment over violations at some sites, Inyima commended contractors and engineers handling the Faculty Building project at the University of Aeronautics for maintaining quality standards. He urged them to sustain the pace of work without compromising engineering requirements.
The inspection team also revisited several ongoing projects previously monitored earlier in the week. The projects included the male and female hostels at the ICT University, Oferekpe, the Oferekpe Internal Road, the Ogbaga Road and Randa Bridge project, and the Ebonyi State Teaching Hospital at Nwofe.
During the follow-up inspection, the commissioner expressed dissatisfaction over the absence of key technical personnel at some project locations.
He ordered the immediate suspension of work at every section operating without qualified site engineers or approved working drawings. He said no government project should continue without proper technical supervision and compliance with approved designs.
Inyima reiterated that Governor Francis Nwifuru’s administration remains committed to delivering durable infrastructure in the education, healthcare, industrial, and transport sectors.
He added that the Ministry of Project Monitoring and Evaluation would continue aggressive and unannounced inspections across Ebonyi North, Ebonyi Central, and Ebonyi South senatorial zones to ensure strict compliance with government standards.
The commissioner directed all contractors handling Ebonyi State Government projects to comply fully with the ministry’s public service advisory on project execution.
Inyima warned that any contractor who fails to meet approved quality standards would face severe sanctions as the government intensifies efforts to ensure value for public funds and deliver durable infrastructure to residents.
