By Kehinde Phillips
The Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, has stressed the need to enhance the capacities of indigenous Contractors to ensure that quality and standards are not compromised in the execution of the Commission’s projects.
This was stated by the Executive Director of Projects, Dr. Cairo Ojougboh, in an interaction with newsmen during a three-day tour of completed emergency projects in Imo and Akwa Ibom states.
Ojougboh, who was accompanied by the Technical Adviser to the Acting Managing Director, Engr. Ikechukwu Ugwuegede; the Acting Director, UIDW, Engr. Frederick Ogbeide, and the Technical Assistant to EDP, Engr. Etim Eyoette, noted that payments would be made to contractors based on the Commission’s evaluation of the standard of the projects.
Ojougboh who pointed out defects in some of the projects inspected, noted that the Commission’s technical team would return to properly evaluate and finish their job. He, however, approved the asphalt over-lay done in Akwa Ibom projects unlike others.
The Executive Director Projects said that if the NDDC would continue to use indigenous contractors, it must encourage them and empower them to improve for better performance.
He said: “This is the point that NDDC must be refocused and placed on the proper footing; so that Niger Deltans will benefit from the commission. That is why Mr. President brought us here to look holistically on what went wrong; and you can see what we are doing, that we have been able to point it out and place the commission properly.”
Engr. Ugwuegede noted that after taking all things into consideration, the commission would determine the rates of payments for the work done, explaining that as emergency projects, they were not having the full complement of documents and project designs.
Some of the completed Emergency projects inspected in Imo State included repair of failed sections of Umudee Internal Road; Umukehi Uratta, repairs and sections of Ezumoha Internal Roads, Eziama Osuama Internal Roads, Ope Okigwe Internal Road, Umuezuo-Umuezegwu road, Ahiaza Mbaise, among others.
In Akwa Ibom state, the road projects inspected included, emergency repairs of failed sections of Secretariat Road in Upenekang Ibeno, Odorokuku Road and Grammer school close Upenekang village and Esenem Street and Lutheran Road environs.