Date Published: 05/05/10

Local Contractors jittery as Amaechi spoils for war

FOR local contractors in Rivers State who think that they can play games with government funds, it is no longer business as usual. It is either they deliver quality jobs or risk jail terms.

The State Government has started to assess their jobs. AkanimoReports says local contractors in Oyigbo Local Government Area who have been delivering poor quality jobs do not appear to be comfortable with the action of government.

Irked by the poor performance of indigenous contractors handling the Model Primary School projects in Andoni Local Government Area, the state Governor, Mr. Chibuike Amaechi has summoned them for a meeting to determine the reason for the slow pace of work.

Governor Amaechi, who noted that similar projects awarded to indigenes of other local government areas have achieved appreciable impact, decried the delay in the execution of government projects in Andoni particularly the new primary schools.

The governor, who announced this Monday during a Town Hall Meeting at Ngo, headquarters of Andoni Local Government Area, said the indigenous contractors are delaying the development of their people.

He cautioned the Commissioner for Education for failing to give marching orders to the contractors to complete the school projects and directed the contractor handling the Community Primary School Inyongorong, deroofed by rainstorm, to go back to site to complete it.

The governor also appealed to the traditional rulers to impress on their subjects handling projects meant for the betterment of their people to ensure completion as state government decision to award contracts to indigenes was for both empowerment and quick development of the communities.

Amaechi said Andoni people have been lucky to have many projects sited in their area, many of which are costing the state government billions of naira such as the Unity Road, Ikuru Town Atlantic Ocean Road and Shore Protection and land Reclamation of Egbormung-Oluk-Ama.

The governor assured that all ongoing projects embarked upon by his administration or inherited would be completed to enable the people have the benefit of such facilities, adding that the three remaining health centres for the area would be completed this year.

On request for more roads projects, he urged the people to appreciate that it is difficult to construct roads in the area and solicited for more time to allow contractors handling the Unity Road get to Ngo and Ikuru Town before other smaller link roads could be embarked on.

The governor, who restated his zero tolerance for crime, warned that anyone that harbours criminal elements would be arrested and prosecuted, emphasizing that his reason for supporting the removal of the former Council Chairman was because he had criminals on his payroll who were not staff of the council.

He assured the people of Isiama Community that his government would ascertain the situation of the area with a view to sitting a new primary school project to prove that Chief Sampson Ngeregbara’s community was not left out in the distribution of projects.

Also speaking, the Deputy Governor, Mr Tele Ikuru thanked the state governor for his love and care that has made the Andoni people benefit more during his tenure while assuring him of their continued support to the government.

Earlier, the Chairman of Andoni Local Government Area, Hon Emilia Nte said in the history of the council no governor of the state has visited Andoni and toured round its communities to find out the problems of the people and proffer solution, and thanked Governor Amaechi for the kind gesture.

 She commended the governor for the numerous projects aimed at bringing development to the people of the area for which generations unborn would continue to remember him.