December 18, (THEWILL) — The Ebonyi State Chapter of Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) has called on the Executive Governor of Ebonyi State, Rt. Hon. Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru, to wield the big stick by immediately terminating the contracts of some non-performing indigenous contractors in the State.
The Chairman of IPAC in Ebonyi State, Comrade Nassir Ernest Nwaze, who made the call in Abakaliki during a press briefing, lamented the attitude of some indigenous contractors, saying that the local contractors are sabotaging the governor’s efforts.
He expressed deep displeasure following IPAC’s monitoring of some government projects, including the industrial cluster, Ezzangbo, Vanco tunnel and Flyover, ICT University at Oferekpe, Aeronautical University at Onueke, Duplexes for Ebonyi traditional rulers and the housing estates opposite Chiboy.
Comrade Nassir Ernest Nwaze disclosed that part of the findings at the industrial cluster show that nothing is happening there. He added that workers at the site only mobilise to the site whenever they are informed that the governor is coming for inspection.
Nwaze said, “In our tradition, IPAC every year visits project sites of government, analyses government performances, and draws our conclusions and advises government on areas, commend them on areas they need to be commended, and then recommend areas they need for improvement. And that is what we have done. Yesterday, we visited some areas, about six sites.
“Our findings at the industrial city cluster, we observed that virtually nothing is happening there. There were no workers. We didn’t meet anybody at the site.”
He stated further that project sites visited where contractors have abandoned their contracts are mostly the sites handled by local contractors.
“But the places we saw where jobs have been abandoned are all from our local contractors and our brothers. They are not helping the governor, they are not helping Ebonyi State”, he declared.
He charged the Commissioner and Senior Special Assistant to Governor Nwifuru on project monitoring not to renege on their responsibilities, but complement the government’s efforts.
“We charge the commissioner and the SSA on project monitoring to sit up, as they are not complementing the efforts of the governor. They should sit up and monitor these projects because if they are doing their work, these projects will not be abandoned the way they have been abandoned. And they are not expecting that when the governor gives you a function, the governor himself will still come down to do the work he has given out to do.”
Moreover, the IPAC chairman called on Governor Nwifuru to prevail on the contractors to return to the sites immediately, and when they fail to do that, the governor should terminate their contracts and recover the money given to them. “IPAC calls on the governor to force these contractors back to sites. Let them go and complete the jobs they have been given. Or terminate the contracts and then use security agencies to recover the monies that have been given to them”, he stressed.
Nwaze, however, commended the commissioners for Justice and Attorney General, Works, Environment, Housing, Agriculture, Primary and Secondary Education, amongst others, for the innovations they introduced in their various ministries.
Sunday Ogbu is a professional journalist with eight - twelve years experience that had worked with various print and online media. Sunday specializes in news reporting with the aim of educating his readers on current social, political and economic occurences within his area of coverage. Sunday is a strong force to work with in the media industry and uses his positive attitude and tireless energy to encourage others to work hard and succeed. Sunday is inspired daily by his wife and their four children. In his free time, Sunday likes sight-seeing, reading and discussing issues of societal interest.
