Akwa Ibom State Governor has terminated Nsit Atai – Oron road contract and directed the Commissioner for Works Prof. Eno Ibianga to conduct the value of works done so far for a possible refund of government money spent on the affected roads.
Speaking on Tuesday during a media briefing to mark one year in office, Eno said there were a lot of inadequacies including incompetence of the contractors before the government decided to terminate the road contracts.
He listed the roads to include Nsit Atai- Oron road, Ndon Eyo road in Onna local government area and two others which were not disclosed.
It could be recalled that Nsit Atai -Oron road project awarded by immediate past governor Udom Emmanuel was terminated five times by the previous administration and re-assigned to another vendor who could not deliver before Governor Umo again terminated it.
Eno who did not mention the new contractor insisted that projects must be done according to specifications to ensure durability.
” I have to say things the way it is without mincing words. The Nsit Atai – Oron road contract is terminated.
” The project is delayed because the contractor never showed competence in handling the road. We have to terminate it and others.
” We will engage our Valuers to quantify what the Vendors have done so far. We also request that they return our money at the end.
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The governor while fielding questions from newsmen at the media briefing invited the Commissioner for Works Prof Eno Ibianga to brief Journalists on the progress of work on the ongoing road contracts in the state including the popular “China Market in Eket local government area of the state awarded by governor Udom Emmanuel in the last administration.
Eno said the 30 percent of government funds committed to the ” China Market ” project in Eket would have gone a long way to complete the entire project before the covid 19 pandemic.
He said the Chinese firm handling the project has gone and refused to return to site.
” I have studied the legal provisions in the contract and have fully briefed that it never favoured the government.
” But you can’t terminate the ” China Market ” contract because of the legal implications.
” The Chinese contractors have deliberately refused to return to the site. Maybe they are trying to ambush us based on the legal provisions.
” But we would soon call for review of the contract terms and take a decision,” he said.
