The 600-metre bridge across the Qua Iboe River in Akwa Ibom State, built by the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, has been completed and would be officially handed over to the benefiting communities soon.
Inspecting the 6.7-kilometre Iko-Atabrikang-Opolom-Iwuo Achang road and the 600-metre bridge on Friday, the acting Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the NDDC, Dr. Christy Atako, said she was satisfied with the quality of the road and the long span bridge. She said that it was good to hear from the contractor that the project did not only bring physical development but was also used to train the youths in the surrounding communities in metal works, carpentry and other artisan skills.
After inspecting the bridge, the NDDC boss pointed out some defects on the road, which she charged the contractor to rectify as quickly as possible. She also observed that the road did not extend to some of the inland communities after the bridge.
Engr. Samuel Eruohi, the project manager of Viche Nigeria ltd., the indigenous contractor that executed the project, assured the NDDC Chief Executive Officer that the portions of the road that were scraped for resurfacing would be fixed as soon as the weather permits. He said that all other remedial works would be completed in the next two weeks.
Dr. Atako also inspected three other NDDC projects in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital. They included two university hostels at the University of Uyo and the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital. They are among the 18 prototype hostels being built by the commission in universities across the Niger Delta.
At the University of Uyo hostel, the site engineer, Mr. Sunday Thomas Akpan said that they were having challenges with the external works because of the topography of the site. “We need to do a lot of excavation to lower the ground surrounding the building to effectively drain water from the court-yard of the hostel,” he said.
Similarly, the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital hostel had not made satisfactory progress in the assessment of the acting Managing Director. She, however, said that in spite of the slow pace of work at the site, all hope was not lost as “we are going to insist that the contractor meets NDDC standards.”
Meanwhile, the Acting Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the NDDC, Dr Christy Atako said the commission has donated over 200 computer sets and 120 computer accessories to each of the polytechnics and colleges of education in the Niger Delta region respectively, besides the 19 prototype students hostel blocks being constructed by the NDDC across the region
Dr Atako said this, when she paid a courtesy call to the Vice Chancellor of the Micheal Okpara University of Agriculture Umudike, Umahia, Professor Hillary Odo,.
“We have always believed that education is the bedrock of any development, there is no economy that can develop without the education sector that is why the Commission has been relentless in its intervention”.
According to the Acting MD “we talk a lot about our youths being leaders of tomorrow, what kind of leaders can we groom if we don’t provide a place for them to articulate their thoughts and enjoy the benefit of democracy so that they will believe in this country Nigeria”
Dr Mrs Atako expressed dissatisfaction over the quality of job done on the students’ hostel project being constructed in the university and directed the contractor to correct the defects immediately.
“I insist that our contractors must adhere strictly to standards because for us in NDDC there is no compromise on quality.”
Dr Atako said the commission was ready to pay contractors promptly, but warned that they must be ready to show value for every payment made.
Earlier the Vice Chancellor of the University Professor Hillary Odo thanked the NDDC for its intervention in the education sector urging other agencies of government and organizations to emulate the commission.
The NDDC Chief Executive Officer also inspected the completed Nworie, Solar electrification project and the internal road network in Ukwa/West, Abia state and commended the contractors for a job well done.
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