BY EVELYN DADU – Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Barrister Nyesom Wike, says contractors handling waste disposal management in the territory will henceforth be paid strictly based on service delivery performance.
Accordingly, he cautioned the newly engaged waste evacuation contractors to buckle up or be shown the door by the FCT Administration
The Minister, who issued the warning during an interactive meeting with 54 newly contracted solid waste evacuation companies in Abuja on Friday, said a Task Force would be in place to monitor the contractors and their operations so that payments are only made upon satisfactory performance.
He said no excuses would be tolerated from the contractors as they must ensure immediate improvement in waste evacuation and sanitation across the nation’s capital city.
Speaking further, Wike said, “Management of waste is a very difficult job. So, I want to plead with you to see it as an assignment for the development of our capital city.
“So please help us to keep the city clean. It’s a job that you applied for; nobody forced you, and I assure you that your payment is not a problem.
“Do the job as required and do it very well. There will be no favouritism. Your job is what will speak for you, and you must get the job done.”
He said the FCT Administration is ready to immediately terminate the contract of any company whose allocated areas of responsibility are found littered with refuse
While explaining the seriousness of the new order, the Minister said it would no longer be business as usual, just as excuses bothering on faulty equipment would not be condoned by the FCTA.
Wike, who also gave the Director of Procurement marching orders to conduct immediate checks and verify the capacity of companies allocated more than one operational site, said for “Those given more than one slot, we have to know what capacity they have.
“If you are allocated two sites, we will not accept excuses for bad equipment. You cannot apply for jobs in two areas when you don’t have the capacity to deliver. We don’t want any area to be left behind. We want everywhere to be clean.”
With assurances to FCT residents that the nation’s capital would be kept neat, clean and environmentally-friendly at all times, Wike pleaded that his administration would rely on citizens’ feedback on the contractors’ performance.
He said such feedback would determine which contractors deserved to be paid for services rendered.
The Minster, while addressing issues around the eight months’ outstanding payments to the contractors, noted that the contractors have not serviced some areas, particularly parts of Asokoro district, for long periods.
However, while insisting that payment would be based on merit and performance, he informed the affected contractors that their requests are being processed and would be ready for payment soon.
In his remarks, Coordinator of the Abuja Metropolitan Management Council, Felix Obuah, explained that the 54 successful contractors were selected from over 500 applicants, adding that they have been assigned different beats across the territory.
A representative of the contractors, Ibrahim Babayo thanked the Minister for the opportunity, and assured him of their commitment to ensuring a cleaner FCT going forward. – With NAN reports
