The Deputy Chief Whip of Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Otuekong Nse Udofot Essien, has decried the spate of abandoned projects in Akwa Ibom State by Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
Consequently he has reported the Commission to the State House of Assembly.
Essien, a member representing the Onna State Constituency in the 26-member Assembly, bemoaned what he described as lack of commitment by the Federal Government agency towards the development agenda of the region.
The lawmaker who spoke to our correspondent in Uyo, the State capital, noted that “if such development agencies live up to their expectations, the multiplier effects of such action would have properly felt by the local residents.”
According to him, NDDC contractors were in the habits of abandoning projects after collecting mobilisation fees, saying such attitude was detrimental to the development plans of the state government.
More worrisome to the lawmaker is the pathetic state of rural roads in Onna, especially the Ikot Akpatek-Ikwe-Odio Road, a strategic access road traversing the oil bearing communities of Onna and Eket, Essien said.
The Deputy Whip, who has taken the matter before the House for deliberation, also impressed on the leadership of the Assembly to grant his prayers that an inventory of projects abandoned by the NDDC in Akwa Ibom state be taken with a view to drawing the Federal Government’s attention for quick intervention.