A comprehensive audit of projects being done by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has shown that contractors will no longer have where to hide, writes PRECIOUS DIKEWOHA
For four days, directors and engineers from the Rivers State office of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) rolled up their sleeves for on-the-spot inspection of projects spread across the state.
This came on the heels of a 30-day deadline given by the NDDC, for contractors handling its projects to return to site or face sanctions.
The NDDC Managing Director, Mr Nsima U. Ekere said last week that it had become imperative to fast track the on-going audit of projects awarded in the region, in line with government directives and one of the planks of the new Governing Board’s 4-R Initiative, “which is to restructure the balance sheet of the Commission and determine poor performing projects.”
He declared: “It is important for our contractors to realise it can’t be business as usual. President Muhammadu Buhari is determined to change how government business is conducted and everyone must wake up to that reality. But beyond that is the fact that we owe the Niger Delta region and our people the duty to implement and complete these projects, in order to facilitate sustainable regional development.”
According to Mr Ekere, the move would enable the Commission to identify the current state of the projects and hasten their completion based on the resources at its disposal. He described the audit as a demonstration of the commitment to the completion of all its projects.
True to the declaration of the NDDC boss, the Commission’s state offices have already commenced the audit of all on-going projects across the oil producing region.
Not waiting to be found wanting,, the Rivers State office, led by Hon Harry Dabibi, the Representative of the state on the board of the NDDC, started a four-day inspection of 32 projects being executed in different local government areas of the state.
The NDDC inspection team, which included Mr Benson Asubop, the Director of Rivers State Office, several engineers and the project consultants, took time to inspect the 4.72-Km Kaa-Ataba Road and bridge project in Khana Local Government Area.
Dabibi, who took boat ride to the Ataba end of the first bridge in Andoni, said he was happy with the progress of work at the site. He, however, urged the contractor to put in more efforts to quicken the pace of work.
He noted that some of the problems that had previously slowed down the pace of work on NDDC projects had been addressed, adding that “the process of payment has been streamlined and fine-tuned such that contractors are now paid as soon as they present their Interim Payment Certificates [IPC].”
Hon Dabibi charged all NDDC contractors to fulfil their obligations to the commission by working expeditiously to deliver the various projects on schedule and in accordance with specified standards. He warned; “Contractors that are not on site or fail to keep to specifications will have themselves to blame because the NDDC will not hesitate to take appropriate measures to bring them to book.”
He charged contractors working for the NDDC to buckle up as “the board will not entertain excuses for non-performance. Our contractors must prioritize the prompt and early completion of projects. Where there are challenges, we should know immediately,” Hon Harry Dabibi said.
Responding, the Project Manager of the Kaa-Ataba Road and Bridge, Engr. Mene Solomon, assured that his company would work towards early completion of the job. He attributed the delay experienced so far to the turbulent waves in the water, which had hampered the delivery of materials to the site and affected the schedule for casting of the piers.
Another project inspected was the 3.65-kilometre Okrika-Borokiri Road with three bridges at Kolabi, Abotoru and Okpoka creeks in Okrika Local Government Area. It was a different story compared with the situation at the Kaa-Ataba Road and Bridge project.
The NDDC inspection team was taken aback by what they saw at the site of the project they classified as high impact projects, as well as critical because it will connect the islands in Okrika to Borokiri in Port-Harcourt main town.
Indeed, the dormant state of the project was very discouraging and the NDDC team leader could not hide his disappointment. He said that the Commission would invite the contractor to a meeting where commitments would be made by all parties towards ensuring that the site was active once again.
The site manager for the company handling the project, Jolien Keneem, told the NDDC officials that his firm had devised a strategy that would help it to expedite work on the project, explaining that the work would be approached from different points simultaneously when more funds were released to his company.
The site engineer could not, however, explain why there was no visible activity at the site and the obvious absence of equipment on ground.
This key road with three bridges connecting Kolabi, Abotoru and Okpoka creeks to Port Harcourt, is expected to ease traffic along the East-West Road and connect several communities in two local government areas.
According to the former Acting MD of NDDC, Mrs Ibim Semenitari, “this project is indeed a top priority because it connects several communities to the Rivers State capital. It is one of the projects that can take traffic off Aba Road and East-West Road. You will find people living in Okrika, Akpajo, Eleme or even Gokana and Khana commuting to Port Harcourt through the road.”
When completed, it would reduce traffic congestion on the Refinery Road and cut travel time from Okrika to Port Harcourt. “With the road, those working in the Port Harcourt Refining Company can cross to Port Harcourt in just 10 minutes,” she said.
The inspection team also checked the internal roads constructed by the commission in Asari Toru and Degema local government areas. In Abalama, the NDDC commissioner described the completed projects as not only commendable but a testimony to the commitment of some local contractors to the objective of delivering quality projects to the people.
The team also expressed satisfaction with the quality of work on the solar-powered water project in Buguma. In Degema LGA, however, work on the internal roads in Obuama was still on-going and the NDDC team leader assured that the contractor would be made to deliver quality jobs that would also give value for the money spent on them.
At the site of the Niger Delta Regional Specialist Hospital (orthopaedic and cardiovascular), in the heart of Port Harcourt, the NDDC team was greeted with another encouraging performance by its contractors.
This laudable hospital project, comprising Orthopaedic and Cardiovascular units, was being replicated in Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom, Cross River and Delta states. According to Dr Christian Oboh, who was the MD when the project took off, the idea was to reverse the trend of medical tourism in the Niger Delta. “We want our people to begin to get their medical treatment from our specialist hospitals, instead of travelling overseas for their healthcare needs,” he said.
Justifying the need for the hospital, the NDDC boss stated: ‘The people need to be healthy to savour the benefits of good roads and bridges.” He said that when completed, the hospital will deal with the correction of injuries to the skeletal system, associated muscles, joints and ligaments while the cardiovascular unit will treat heart problems, said to be prevalent in the region.
Hon Dabibi said he was impressed with the quality of work done so far and the appreciable progress made in putting up the two hospitals. “This is a great project because it is meant to save lives,” he added.
The project site along Moscow Road, Port Harcourt, has a one storey orthopaedic unit and a four-storey cardiovascular centre taking the place of the demolished University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital.
The NDDC team further inspected the Nigerian Police barracks being built for the Special Protection Unit, base 6 at Omagwa in the outskirts of Port Harcourt. The complex contains an administrative building and six blocks of residential quarters.
According to the NDDC team leader, the status of work at the complex was satisfactory considering that the main administrative block and the residential quarters for the Police Commander in the barracks had been completed.
“We hope that the other contractors will expedite action on the other buildings in the complex. We have seen some progress by two of the contractors; we expect the others that are lagging behind to wake up.”
The next stop for the team was the site of the skill acquisition centre in Aleto, Eleme LGA. Here, the contractor was said to have left the site due to an outstanding IPC. After reviewing the situation at the building site, Hon Dabibi promised to make a strong case for the contractor to be re-mobilised.
The lowest point for the NDDC officials came when they visited the completed cottage hospital at Eteo community in Eleme LGA. The hospital complex, which was ready for commissioning and hand over to the community, was totally vandalised by unknown persons. The hospital, which had been equipped and furnished, was virtually stripped bare of all valuable items, including the roofing sheets.
Hon Dabibi was visibly pained at the sight of the vandalised hospital, appealing to communities to assist the NDDC by owning the projects and protecting them.
