The Federal Ministry of Works has issued a final termination notice to Julius Berger Nigeria Plc, ordering the contractor to evacuate the site of the Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano Dual Carriageway project within 14 days. The decision, announced on Monday, followed months of stalled negotiations and cited the contractor’s non-compliance with revised project costs, scope adjustments, work stoppage, and refusal to remobilize.
The highway project, initially awarded in December 2017 and flagged off in 2018 under former Minister Babatunde Fashola, has seen considerable delays. While the Kaduna-Zaria and Zaria-Kano sections are nearly complete, progress on the Abuja-Kaduna segment remains at just 27% after six years. Recent efforts by the Ministry of Works, led by Minister David Umahi, to re-scope the project divided Section I into two phases.
A 38-kilometer segment was reassigned to Dangote Industries Ltd. in October 2024, with the remaining 127 kilometers retained under Julius Berger’s contract. However, Julius Berger did not agree to the ministry’s revised terms, prompting the termination.
The move supports President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which emphasizes infrastructure development to reduce the burden on Nigerian road users and speed up essential projects. The Ministry of Works is expected to announce the next steps for completing Section I in the coming weeks.
