BY DAVID ADUGE-ANI, ABUJA

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), through the Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC), has warned contractors in-charge of maintenance and security of Abuja streetlights, against poor handling of the facility.

Coordinator of AMMC, Chief Felix Obuah, who gave the warning in Abuja on Tuesday, frowned that the contractors have failed to keep to the terms of contract with the administration.

Obuah observed that the Abuja streetlights are not functional, while some of the infrastructural components have been vandalised, a situation he attributed to the incompetence of the contractors.

The AMMC coordinator stated therefore, that the administration would not pay any contractor that has caused prevailing darkness on Abuja streets, neither would it renew any contractual agreement with such defaulting company.

According to him, “I am not impressed with the way you have handled the maintenance and security aspects of these contracts.

I’m aware that this contract is for the maintenance and security of street lights. But I have personally moved round your areas of operation and I can say that the city is in darkness.

That is to say that the request for your payment has been processed and done, yet your work is not being done perfectly as agreed. Why must we continue to patronize and pay you when the job is not being done? This is unacceptable.

Why must we complain about security and vandalisation? It is your duty to provide the security to guide the facilities. If the bulbs are dead it is your duty to replace them.

From what we are seeing now, I don’t think any of you is living up to that agreement you have entered with AMMC. That is why I have called you to let us know what are the problems. If there are areas we feel we can come in, we will.

But if we continue like this, I can tell you we don’t care. We will blacklist the contractor and if you have even applied, we will make sure that you don’t get it. Then we will get a contractor who can do the job.”