The Niger State House of Assembly’s Joint Committees on Works and Health and Nutrition have directed the immediate suspension of the ongoing construction work at the Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB) University Teaching Hospital in Minna. This decision was taken due to non-compliance with contract specifications.
During an oversight visit to the project site, Chairman of the House Committee on Works, Architect Suleiman Abubakar Gomna, and his counterpart from the Health and Nutrition Committee, Pharmacist Umar Nasir, expressed their dissatisfaction with the substandard quality of the work. They described the construction as below standard and emphasized the potential repercussions of poor-quality work on safety, communication, and resource management.
Abubakar Gomna highlighted the importance of quality control procedures in improving the efficiency of construction projects. He stressed the necessity of material testing to ensure standards are met, which can lead to high expectations and better project outcomes.
Pharmacist Umar Nasir, Chairman of the Health and Nutrition Committee, reiterated the critical role that the durability, strength, and quality of materials play in the safety and longevity of construction projects. He noted that these factors significantly impact the overall performance of a project and stressed the importance of adhering to quality standards.
Mohammed Lawal Aliyu, Head of Project Management at Think Lab Group Limited, the company handling the project, disclosed that the construction consists of three phases: renovation of old structures, construction of new ones, and infrastructure development such as roads, electrification, water supply, and provision of medical equipment. Aliyu revealed that the company had already received an advance payment of N9 billion from the state government to ensure the project’s integrity and avoid sharp practices.
The lawmakers mandated that Think Lab Group Limited must comply with their directives to ensure the construction results in a durable and high-quality edifice. The suspension aims to enforce standards and ensure that the IBB University Teaching Hospital meets the necessary specifications to stand the test of time.