People of Ozoro community, Isoko North local government area of oil rich Delta state have expressed deep lamentation and dissatisfaction over what they described as substandard road project at Notre Dame College, (NDC) awarded by the state government.
In a strong worded petition entitled “Construction Of NDC Road Ozoro: An Appeal To Revoke/Re-award Of Contract To A Competent Contractor”, signed by Oghale Osioni, Ichehoke Emoga, Kelvin Evahero Adaigba, Omamoke Eribo, Ph.D and Michael Oke, Ph.D, on behave of the community for a pressure group, Ozoro Frontiers, addressed to
governor of the state, Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa, called for the immediate revocation and re-award of the contract to a more competent contractor.
The petition which also copied, the speaker of the State House of Assembly, Commissioner for Works, member representing Isoko North constituency in the state Assembly and chairman, Isoko North local government area, made available to newsmen, expressed appreciation to governor Okowa led administration “for finding N.D.C road worthy of getting a befitting look.
“It is note worthy that your administration’s intention to award the contract is to achieve infrastructural development which in turn empowers locals financially through menial jobs as the construction progresses. The NDC road, though awarded on two occasions by previous administration’s as a dual carriage through DESOPADEC intervention but was abandoned and have been crumbling for years without attention until your government came to the rescue.
“Your Excellency, the contractor handling the NDC road has refused to mount a sign post with reasons best known to him, hence we have been dealing with a ghost. We understand your developmental strides of leaving behind solid infrastructures as a legacy which is evident in the massive road construction across the state and this has earn you the nickname “Road Master” but we are saddened to bring to your attention that the NDC road project designed by your administration to bring smile to faces of residents of Ozoro kingdom may not achieve the desired results except you act fast.
“Ethically, the contractor has compromised in standard, the thickness of asphalt on the road is way below what is standard for a street road. In a bid to evade public scrutiny, the contractor was using touch light and vehicle lights to lay asphalt in the dead of the nights. The contractor willfully compromised standards in all aspect of the job.
“The culverts were shabbily constructed and the purpose of those culverts has been defeated as residents are currently being displaced as a results of flooding. This construction which was intended to correct the flooding anomalies of the Alla Square seasonal flooding has become a nightmare and instead of channeling the water away, the contractor added salt to our injuries making the purpose of the entire job to be defeated.
“Your excellency, the N.D.C road will just be a chaff if it’s left to remain this way. The road been about the busiest road in the entire Isoko nation, that enroutes to over eight schools, the Divisional Police Station, the Ozoro Area Command, Religious Worshiping Places, the Ozoro Main Market, the Ozoro Daily Market amongst other could turn a death trap due to the population and amount of traffic it receives on a daily basis.
“We are passionately pleading that you reconsider the dualisation as designed earlier by DESOPADEC for Ozoro and Oleh which is currently ongoing in Oleh. Your proposed intention to alleviate the plight of the people via the construction of the N.D.C road will be defeated if left in this condition due to the fact that the road is shabbily constructed.
“Your Excellency sir, we are fully in support of the prosperity you have brought to Deltans as a governor hence we refuse to sit back to watch dubious and incompetent contractors wasting millions of taxpayers money on poorly executed projects. We hereby appeal that you use your good office to correct the deficiencies and also consider the dualisation.
“It is against this backdrop that we respectfully ask for the following: That you delegate the commissioner for works to find time out of his very busy schedule to visit the site and do on the spot assessment of the project. That the contract be revoked, and the contactor stopped from collecting the certificate of job completion. That the construction of the road be re-awarded to a competent contractor.
“That the drains be properly channeled to save the people from manmade flooding. That the award of dualization of the road from NDC to the Local Government Council be reconsidered. Your Excellency sir, we want to thank you for bringing happiness to our people, hence we will not fold our hands watch any contractor who want to drag your good name to the mud for self aggrandisement.”, the petition concluded.
