...Sen Nwokocha Raises Motion on Senate Floor 

A portion of Umuahia-Ikwuano-Ikot Ekpene road 

 


The Presidency was on Tuesday urged to review the contract  for the rehabilitation/reconstruction  of  Umuahia -Ikwuano-Ikot Ekpene road and determine reasons for the snail pace of work on  the contract awarded since 2019. The road is a major highway linking the South-East to the South-South states of Akwa Ibom, Cross River, and on to the Cameroons.


In his letter to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the constitutional lawyer-human rights activist, Dr Monday Ubani laid bare the challenges  thus: "Economic activities have been grounded in the South-East geo-political zone  due to terrible road network especially the  Umuahia-Ikwuano-Ikot Ekpene amongst others. The contract were  awarded to one Hartland Company  Ltd by the last administration but unfortunately the people that pass through that road daily  have  not witnessed any improvement whatsoever on the state of the road despite that it was awarded since 2019.  


...portions of the Umuahia-Ikwuano-Ikot-Ekpene road 


" It is a fact that the contractor has been on the road in the guise of executing the contract but   no significant job have done by them. In fact the bad portions on Ikwuano axis  have become worse. Strident efforts made by patriotic stakeholders in Ikwuano LGA to find out what is causing delay in executing the contract have not yielded proper explanation as to what is the problem. 


" In one instance we were told by the Ministry of Works officials that funding the project was problematic as certificates submitted are not backed with immediate  cash payments from NNPC that is funding the project. 


...Other portions of Umuahia -Ikwuano-Ikot Ekpene road 


"In another we are told that the Federal Contract never made a provision for paying those whose properties are to be pulled down to enable the work to progress as mapped out. In another instance we are told that rain is the cause of the delay. All these stories are illogical, unbelievable and not cogent enough to explain what is the cause of delaying the contract that was awarded since 2019 with a tenure of 4 years. 


"As I write this letter Mr President, the contractors have abandoned the road as no work is presently going on the road. The Ministry of Work officials are not offering any tangible explanation to the people why the contractor is not on the road.


"Your Excellency,  I plead that you direct a neutral body  to review the state of this  road and give an update to your office  on what is delaying the expeditious completion of the road in question in the region. Is this delay, pure act of sabotage against the people in the region or is it a funding issue?   


"If it is a just clear sign of incompetence on the part of the contractor and the Ministry of Works that awarded the contract, Your Excellency will be able to find out after an independent review is carried out.


"It is very unfortunate that not up to 20% of work has been done on the road by the contractor despite the number of years they have been on the road and the amount of money  so far disbursed to them".


In a related development, Senator Darlington Nwokocha representing Abia Central Senatorial district equally raised a motion on the Senate floor demanding immediately action on the roads and others he  described  as critical national assets, and which are central to the socio-economic nerves of Aba, Umuahia, Uyo, Ikot-Ekpene and Port Harcourt cities.


He revealed in the motion that the road projects were awarded to a number of reputable local and international civil engineering construction companies, under a Federal Government Executive Order 007, signed since the year, 2019.  


Nwokocha  affirmed that the roads are alternative routes for the movement of essential goods and passengers across the contiguous states of the South-East, South-South, Western and Northern States of the Federation, hence the dire need for the urgent attention the motion sought 


He decried the continued unaccountable delays in completing the all-important road projects, and prayed the Federal Government of Nigeria to, as a matter of urgency, investigate the unfortunate development, with the view to effecting speedy return to sites, and eventual completion of the projects in order to ameliorate the perennial sufferings of the people and commercial activities that hitherto, took place along those effected areas.