By Polycarp Onwubiko
The Federal Agency named "Nigerian Building and Road Research Institute, NBRRI, has allegedly stalled the ongoing federal constituency project in the Anambra Central senatorial district. Senator Uche Ekwunife during his four years tenure in the Senate sponsored/attracted the rehabilitation of Amawbia-Kabe school junction-Nise road bypass.
The contract for the road
rehabilitation was awarded to Chief IKB, a well-known indigenous road
contractor and the managing director of MAS Resources Limited. The company had
done a lot of work on the road rehabilitation namely grading, heaping the
laterite and grading including the construction of a big culvert to carry the
big volume of flood water down to the nearby stream.
Sadly the road rehabilitation
work-in-progress stopped for over a year. Speaking to the press, IKB expressed
sadness over the stoppage of work even as the much that has been done had been
devastated to some extent by the flood water during the rainy season. He
attributed the stoppage of the work on the failure of the funding agency, NBRRI
probably because of the absence of the ebullient Senator Uche Ekwunife who used
to prod the staff of the funding agency to be prompt in the release of funds to
complete the road rehabilitation in a record time.
He however expressed optimism
that the present Senator representing the Central senatorial district, Senator
Chief Victor Umeh will take up the prodding even as he has discussed with him
in Abuja on the urgency of the resumption of the road rehabilitation project.
He said: "Immediately the NBRRI starts to release the funds seamlessly,
the road rehabilitation project will be completed".
In another development, a well-heeled
contractor and philanthropist, Chief Ikenga Umuawulu, interacting with the
press said that he has, out of passion, mobilized his company to resume work on
the road rehabilitation to an extent. The company has done both sides of the
drainages. He said that the apparent delay in completing the road
rehabilitation project was the relocation of some electric poles which when
completed, the remaining work which is tarring would commence.
Also speaking to the press, the
Deputy Speaker of Anambra State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Chukwuma Pius Okoye
(Ozo Mgbuluobi Amawbia) who commended Chief Ikenga Umuawulu said that apart
from being his distant relative, his close friendship with him ignited his
passion to undertake the road rehabilitation to a section which ended to his
residence. He expressed optimism that within few weeks, the tarring would be
done.
Also speaking to the press, the
Hon Commissioner for works, Engr. Ifeanyi Okoma said that really he was not
aware of that federal constituency project. He however appealed to well-to-do
Ndi Anambra state to key into Governor Soludo's "Public Private Project,
PPP, geared towards uplifting the abysmal living standard of the people. He
said that Governor Soludo's policies, programmes and projects are geared to
touch every Community but would be a gradual process given the limited
financial resources of the state.
Polycarp Onwubiko, JP, is a
media commentator Awka, Anambra State
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