The lingering ripples and scuffle rocking Ikpide-Irri riverine community, Isoko South local government area of Delta state following the ongoing substandard road contract awarded as a “Kola-nut” to PORTPLUS limited, a marine service company owned by Mr. Immanuel Emoefe, at the sum of N736, 404, 555.60 by governor Ifeanyi Okowa, is yet to abate.
The ripples, it was reliably gathered to be taking a new dimension that if not properly handled may snowball to a full blown crisis in the community following the way and manner the Presisent General of the community, Mr. Michael Omojefe, an elder brother to the contractor, is giving backings to the contractor not to reconstruct the substandard culverts in the community and the manner he is said to be handling the whole issues to the detriment of the people.
Sources who confided in HardReporters revealed that the contractor, Portplus Limited has released an disclosed huge sum of money through his elder brother, President General of the community, Mr. Omojefe, and disbursed to a particular Chief, and ex-military personnel, in the community who was a former Vice Chairman of the local government and few others for their full support as long as the contentious issues lasted.
It was also learnt that the money disbursed to the chief and others was to sign a fake resolution document disclaiming the indigenes of the community fighting against the substandard road contract been executed by the Portplus limited company.
“The President General, Mr. Michael Asedere Omojefe, is just acting like a child, he is behaving like a robot been controlled by the contractor, his younger brother. The way and manner he is going about the whole issues may snowballed into a crisis in the community if not properly managed.
“He calls for meetings without carrying his executive members along, he does everything alone. When a resolution is reached in a meeting he goes around spreading lies and doing a different thing, all to please his contractor brother. I can tell you that his executive is divided, even the whole community is divided because of the PG.
“What the people are saying is a standard job which the PG is not in support off. I can also tell you that some engineers and senior staff of the Ministry of Works have been compromised too. The contractor is cutting corners just to amass wealth. All the culverts are substandard done with 10mm instead of the specified 16 and 12mm rods. There are so many obvious defects in that road construction.” am impeccable source said.
Our correspondent reliably gathered that another meeting of selected persons called “STAKEHOLDERS” has been called by the president General of the community, Mr. Omojefe without the consent of his executive members and other leaders of the community.
The meeting, it was learnt is slated for Saturday, July, 21, 2018 at the residence of Admiral John Kpokpogri (RTD) at Ikpide-Irri by 10:00am where a clean bill of health will be given to the substandard job and signing of a purported document disclaiming the indigenes of the community fighting against the ongoing substandard job by Portplus limited.
The concerned indigenes of the community through a petition addressed to governor Ifeanyi Okowa and signed by their counsel, Mr. Chuks. F. Ebu, had raised the alarm of substandard job by the contractor saying the job was not been done according to specifications in the Bill Of Quantity, (BOQ).
It would be recalled that two weeks ago, the community youths had staged a peaceful protest calling on the contractor to as a matter of urgency and importance follow standards in the execution of the contract or be ready to face the music of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
Speaking during the protest, an Activist and indigene of the community who doubles as the President of Isoko Monitoring Group, (IMG), a Pan Isoko group known for championing of development in Isoko, Delta and beyond, Mr. Sebastine Agbefe, lamented the substandard work by Portplus limited and called on the contractor to immediately destroy and reconstruct all the culverts in the community that were constructed with 10mm instead of 16mm rods according to the BOQ.
Several calls to the community President General, Mr. Michael Omojefe were not responded to as at the time of filing in this report.
