
Julius Berger Nigeria Plc, on Tuesday, assured that it was committed to delivering projects that would help address Nigeria’s Infrastructural needs as well as create more jobs for Nigerians.
The construction firm gave this assurance in the letter of apology addressed to the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, through the Chairman, Senate Committee on Works, Senator Barinada Mpigi, for not honouring invitations sent to it due to leadership transition.
The letter dated January 10th, 2025 and signed by Engr Dr Peer Lubasch as Managing Director and Dr Abdulaziz Isa Kaita as Director of Administration, reads in part:
“Your Excellency, the President of the Senate, on behalf of Julius Berger Nigeria Plc (JBN), we extend our respect and commend the Senate President’s leadership and the Chairman’s contributions to advancing
the welfare of Nigerians.
“We acknowledge receipt of your instructions regarding the investigative hearing on the Odukpani-to-lot Ekpene Road and sincerely apologize for missing the previous meeting due to miscommunication during our leadership transition.
“Our new Managing Director, Engr. Dr. Peer Lubasch had just assumed office and was being briefed on ongoing projects. We assure you of our utmost respect for the National Assembly and our commitment to collaborative governance.
“JBN remains committed to partnering with the National Assembly and Federal Government to deliver projects that benefit Nigerians, address infrastructural challenges, and create jobs.
“We assure you of our attendance at the next committee meeting and look forward to continued collaboration”
In accepting the apology, Senators at the plenary voted for its acceptance when put to voice votes by the Senate President.
JBN’s apology was also accepted by the Investigative Panel where its MD was directed to appear before in December.
The Panel also collected the written apology from Julius Berger but admonished the construction firm not to allow issues between it and relevant authorities to degenerate to the level of project abandonment and arrest warrant issuance.
The MD of Julius Berger in his explanations to the Committee, stated that slow payment of advances on awarded contracts and cost variation etc, created misunderstanding between the company and the Federal Ministry of Works.
“JBN has an unquestionable track record of consistency on quality projects execution and delivery in Nigeria since 1965 with over 10,000 workforces now and more than 150, 000 indirect workers “, he said.
The Committee accordingly promised the construction giant to resolve the disagreement between it and the Federal Ministry of Works.