The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Ezenwo Wike, has approved the payment of eight months’ outstanding service arrears to Abuja’s waste collection contractors.
Wike’s approval came in response to repeated appeals by the contractors, who had been requesting the payment of their outstanding arrears for several months.
While noting that some areas in the FCT, particularly parts of Asokoro, were not serviced by the contractors at certain times in the past, he clarified that payment would be made strictly on merit.
Wike also tasked solid waste management contractors in the seat of power to ensure an immediate improvement in sanitation across the FCT, warning that excuses would not be tolerated.
The Minister issued the charge in Abuja on Friday during an interactive meeting with 54 solid waste cleaning contractors who were recently awarded contracts in the Federal Capital City.
Earlier, the Coordinator of the Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC), Felix Obuah, confirmed that the 54 successful contractors were selected from over 500 applicants, adding that the companies have been duly issued letters of award and assigned different operational beats across the FCT.
Addressing the contractors, Wike emphasized the critical importance of effective waste management to the FCT and announced that a Task Force would be set up immediately to monitor their operations, adding that future payments would be subject to satisfactory performance.
According to the Minister, “Management of waste is a very difficult job. So, I want to plead with you to see it that you are carrying out 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. 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 stressed.
He warned that he would not hesitate to terminate the contract of any cleaning company if refuse is sighted in their allocated zone.
“This will not be business as usual. You must work during the weekend and have a special team to evacuate waste,” the minister directed.
He further mandated the Director of Procurement to carry out immediate checks to ascertain the capacity of companies allocated more than one operational site, stating that excuses related to bad equipment would no longer be accepted.
“Those who are given more than one slot, we have to know what capacity they have. If you are allocated two sites, we will not accept excuses of bad equipment. You cannot go and apply for jobs for 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,” he stated.
The minister further urged residents to provide feedback to the government on the contractors’ performance, assuring them that their input would help guide payment decisions.
Speaking on behalf of the contractors, Mr. Ibrahim Babayo thanked the Minister for the audience and urged his colleagues to heed the warnings, while also pledging their commitment to ensuring a clean FCT.
