October 23, (THEWILL) – The Senate Ad-hoc Committee on fact-finding on East-West road has uncovered duplication in the award of contracts of the project by the Federal Ministry of Works, the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and various state governments in the region, including the local governments.
The Committee also found that there were compromises on the road about engineering concepts and construction.
Chairman of the Committee, Senator Abdul Ahmed Ningi, said the Committee will convene a public hearing on the East-West road in Abuja, during which questions will be raised on those whose responsibility it was to ensure concrete engineering design and soil testing.
“That is one thing we have found out on the ground of awards by the Federal Ministry of Works, NDDC, the various state governments of the Niger Delta region and even the local governments.
“We were also disturbed that while we have noticed dilapidation of the road, we saw from the initial concept engineering that they did not do the scientific needful of testing the soil, of getting the required attention on the road, and that has to do with some compromises. This is unacceptable as far as I am concerned,” Senator Ningi said.
The Committee also expressed disappointment that the East-West road had defied four administrations including that of President Obasanjo, the late Alh Musa Yar’Adua, Goodluck Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari.
Earlier, the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Pst Umo Éno, stressed the importance of the East-West road to the economic development of Nigeria and urged the Committee to do the needful to ensure its completion.
Eno also urged the Committee to investigate the issue of funds released for the construction of the East-West road, asking who got the money and how it was used.
The Controller of Works, Federal Ministry of Work, Berida Onayesemi, expressed confidence that issues concerning the road would be resolved.
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