Imo State Governor Hope Uzodinma, has revoked the contract of the abandoned Port-Harcourt road/Assumpta Cathedral project.
This decision on Monday February 24 comes barely three week after Governor Uzodinma’s instruction to the contractors.
He had in a statement on February 4 by his Chief Press Secretary/Media Adviser, Oguwike Nwachuku, asked contractors handling road projects in Imo State to go back to site within 72 hours or have their contracts terminated.
“This morning (Monday February 24, 2020), I made an unscheduled appearance at a few construction sites, one of them being the Port Harcourt Road, starting from ‘Control Post’, Assumpta roundabout.
“To my greatest surprise, I met a deserted place. No contractor, no equipment in sight and on a proactive basis, I have directed a revocation of this particular contract,” Uzodinma said.
His visit to the site was to ascertain the level of compliance with his instruction to the contractors of the road project awarded by his predecessors.
According to Governor Uzodinma, there will be an arrangement for a more serious contractor to take over. He urged other contractors to sit up and face the business of meeting the yearnings of “Ndị Imo” in infrastructural development.
Recall that the Imo State Governor had frowned at a situation where contractors who had collected mobilisation fees from Government abandoned projects.
“This action is unjustifiable and totally unacceptable to the State Government. Dry seasons usually mark the peak of road construction works. Regrettably, the affected contractors have absconded from site in the peak of the dry season even after collecting mobilization fees from Government,” Governor Uzodinma had said.
Recall that Governor Uzodinma has at every opportunity emphasized that his ‘3R’ mantra of Reconstruction, Rehabilitation and Recovery must be fully implemented for the overall benefit of Imo people.
Iheanyi Nwachukwu
