The federal government has knocked Reynolds Construction Company (RCC) for failing to complete at least 1km out of the 15km East-West Road section from Eleme Junction to Onne Port Junction in Rivers State.

The criticism is coming on the heels of over N40 billion in mobilization funds which was paid to the company by the federal government.

The Minister of Works, David Umahi, stated this during his inspection tour of road projects that are currently ongoing in the South-South zone on Wednesday, according to a statement on the ministry's website.

"We are very sad with the manner and behaviour of this contractor, RCC. The federal government has paid over N40bn on this project, and not even one kilometre has been completed," Umahi was quoted as saying.

The statement indicated that the contractor's delay was attributed to the ongoing importation of necessary machinery, an excuse deemed unacceptable by the Federal Government.

Additionally, Umahi stressed that no requests for price variation from the contractor would be entertained, as the project does not warrant any price adjustments.

He expressed concerns over the hardships faced by road users and emphasized the federal government's commitment to securing interim funds for road maintenance until the company resumes work on the site.

Subsequently, Umahi issued a seven-day ultimatum to RCC, warning that failure to remobilize would result in the termination of the contract.