LAGOS JULY 27TH (URHOBOTODAY)-Projects Status Overview by the Delta State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, has revealed how his predecessor, Chief James Onanefe Ibori, abandoned over 418 road projects, valued at N133 billion.
The projects, the governor said, has 1,372 kilometre length of roads and 744 kilometre length of drains.
While the governor categorically said “a total of 10 contracts were immediately repudiated for non-performance” when he assumed office in 2007, he hinted that 24 others are at various stages of repudiation by the state.
Represented at the Unity Hall, Government House, Asaba by his Commissioner for Works, Hon. Funkekeme Solomon, during the Mid-Term Ministerial briefing, the governor said apart from the N43.2 billion spent on 60 per cent of the non-performing projects, N240.8 billion have been expended on other 367 projects across the state.
He listed Workson Construction Company, allegedly owned by the former helmsman, and the Inter-Bau Construction Company as some of the defaulting contractors sanctioned by the Government of Delta State for non-performance.
According to him: “We will not allow anybody to drag the governor (Uduaghan) into unnecessary negative publicity.
“We have empowered the state’s Ministry of Justice to recover all expended monies.
“Though, we are in a democratic environment, I can assure you that any further issue of misdemeanor by any contractor in such category will be decisively dealt with by the governor.”
Flanked by his counterpart in the Ministry of Information, Chike Ogeah, Funkekeme’s analysis showed that from 1,372 kilometre length of roads abandoned by Ibori, 549 kilometre length of roads and 170 kilometre drainage channels have been completed, in addition to 1,006 kilometre length of roads awarded in 2007, bringing total length of all-weather roads to 3,236 kilometre.
He said in the current fiscal year, over 100 projects, inclusive of new ones, abandoned and repudiated, have been processed for approval and are at various stages of procurement.
Funkekeme, who said the state has since stopped awarding contracts for political patronage to unqualified and “contractors that have not reputable records and addresses”, the dualization of 6.2 kilometre Refinery Road (Federal road) with spur along the NNPC Housing Estate road to Ekpan Roundabout, Effurun, at the cost of N4.3 billion, was optimistic that when completed it would link the intersection in Ekpan town, improve traffic flow and also link the Petroleum Training Institute/Ekpan Road, Effurun/Sapele Road to the Nigeria Port Authority dual carriageways.
He said the award of 8.35 kilometre Ajagbodudu-Ogharefe Road at the cost of N2.4 billion to Messrs Levant Construction Limited with a spur to the state’s Independent Power Plant project site at Oghara, Ibori’s home-town, in Ethiope West Local Government Area of the state, was to connect Oghara to Koko, with its Seaport and proposed Export Processing Zone.
While he vowed that contractors who have swindled the state of its funds in all public works, including the construction and maintenance of state Government House roads, bridges and drains, airport development, explosives, construction and maintenance of sewage drainage channels, consultancy and supervision of civil engineering projects of other MDAs and liaison with Federal Government and its MDAs, would be prosecuted, he announced the resolve of the state on “war against road abuse”, which he said has already taken effect when the governor arrested and charged a developer to court for dumping building materials on government road, thereby causing traffic gridlock in Asaba, the state capital.
Source: Eaglesonline
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