Atako
Chiefs and elders of Buguma community in Asari-Toru Local Government Area of Rivers State have praised the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, for its uncompromising stand in demanding high quality performance from its contractors. The community leaders, who had gathered at the Kalabari National College, Buguma, for the commissioning of three projects executed by the NDDC in the school, were informed that the planned hand-over would now take place at a later date because the contractor did not adhere strictly to specifications and laid down standards.
Speaking on behalf of the community, Chief Daar George thanked the NDDC for insisting on high quality job delivery. He said that much as his people, especially the students, were eager to take possession of the facilities provided by the NDDC, it was better to wait a little more for the necessary corrections to be effected by the contractor.
According to the chief, the community fully supported the decision to put off the commissioning ceremony until the contractor rectified the spots that had defaults. “We agree that the contractor should come back to finish the job to meet the standards set by the NDDC,” Chief George said.
The Acting Managing Director of the NDDC, Dr. Christy Atako, told the Buguma community and the excited students of the Kalabari National College that the commission would only hand over projects that were executed according to its specifications and high standards. She stated that NDDC would not be associated with projects that were of questionable quality.
She said: ‘We pay attention to quality. So, we will not commission any project that does not meet our standards. If we hand over a sub-standard project, it means that we are defrauding the people.”
Dr. Atako assured the students that the NDDC would protect their interests by stopping contractors who would want to short-change them by cutting corners and compromising on quality of the facilities put in place for them.
Responding, the principal of the school, Dr. Gibson Sokari-George, said that the NDDC had given them a sense of belonging by rehabilitating the school’s dormitory, dining hall and kitchen, as well as the principal’s quarters. He said that even with the delay in handing over the projects to them, they would still be happy and hopeful.
Comrade Ibinabo Robinson, a Buguma youth leader, said that the NDDC had set a good example for other agencies of government in the country, noting that by refusing to overlook poor quality jobs, the commission had shown that there was still hope for Nigeria.
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