Minister of Works issues 14-day termination notice to CCECC

1. By Mashe Umaru Gwamna

Minister of Works,  Engr. David Umahi has issued a 14-day termination notice to China Civil Engineering Construction (CCEC) Company Limited, over displeasure with the Rehabilitation of Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway, contract No. 6252.

The Minister, who was on a routine supervision of ongoing road projects within South South and South East on Sunday 19th October 2025, expressed displeasure over the recalcitrance of the contractor in complying with the new construction codes and regulations which are aimed at building enduring road infrastructure  for the nation.

Speaking during  the inspection visit, the Minister decried the state  of the 43-km  Aba-Port Harcourt  inherited  ongoing project handled by CCECC, which he said was on the verge of total collapse.

He directed that a 14-day notice of termination be issued to the contractor, having regard to the various warning letters issued to the contractor over their poor construction performance on the said job. He further directed  that the Port Harcourt bound of the project be descoped and reawarded to a competent contractor.

“If you get to Port Harcourt end, which they did about two years or thereabout, the entire road has almost totally failed. We have been writing them to maintain this road. They have refused, and so I have to take responsibility and take decision. Number one, the Port Harcourt bound is descoped, no longer going to be done by CCECC.I will direct the Ministry of Works to scout out for very qualified indigenous contractors to handle the Port Harcourt bound. *They should be the contractor that will start work immediately  while we sort out for funds for them._Number two, for the site handled by CCECC, they should issue them 14 days notice of termination of the job. And I want this directive to go very wide. After 14 days, they fail to mill out the binder and replace it properly,the job will be terminated; they have to initiate it; they have to commit to doing that. Even if they are going to do it during the dry season, they have to maintain the ones that they have done and they  put in writing that they’re going to mill out the binder at their own cost, and then be able to put a new binder, which we have paid for.”