December 24, (THEWILL) – The President, Muhammadu Buhari and the Minister for Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola SAN, have been urged to revoke the Odukpani-Itu-Ikot Ekpene Road Contract.
The host communities of the Cross River State section of the road as well as youth groups made the call in Calabar.
Former Nigeria Ambassador to Uganda, HRH Etubom Nya Eyoma Asuquo spoke on behalf of the host communities while Aniefiok Inyang spoke for the youths.
They maintained that it is shocking that Julius Berger is no longer handling the project while SERMATECH has been engaged to handle about 50 kilometres of the 97 kilometres stretch of the entire highway.
This spans from the Independent Power Plant at Onimankiong in Cross River State to Oku Iboku Junction in Akwa Ibom State.
Aniefiok Inyang, State Chairman of Niger Delta Youth Movement said “we object most vehemently and vociferously to this award of contract to SERMATECH.
“We call on his Excellency, president Muhammadu Buhari to urgently direct the minister of works and housing to urgently revoke the said contract and award the same to a more reputable company.
“A very large section of the portion awarded to SERMATECH is in a very difficult and swampy terrain and the company has no technical expertise nor pedigree in such serious construction work.
“The only intra-city dualised road SERMATECH constructed in Cross River State which is the Goodluck Jonathan Bypass failed within six months of construction even when it is an intra-city highway with very low traffic usage”, he said.
He also listed other projects in Cross River State handled by the company which failed within three months of completion.
Also speaking, HRH Etubom Nya Eyoma Asuquo said the people have suffered for too long and now that the government wants to alleviate their plight, a reputable company should handle the project.
He said the company is known to fix potholes and then their projects don’t stand the test of time.
He added that the terrain of the area, the bridges and the high technical expertise calls for a reputable construction company to be engaged.
On his part, Eyo NSA Ekpo, a former Chairman of Odukpani LGA and legal Adviser to the host communities said the road is very dear to the people of the area.
He added that the project should not be used to settle friendships to the detriment of the Odukpani people.
About the Author
THEWILL Correspondent, Aniekan Bassey has over six years experience that spans across several fields in print journalism including development communication, sexual reproductive and health rights issues, crime, climate change, social justice, business and human interest stories.
