The new road contract award in Akwa Ibom
The contract award for the construction of some new roads in Akwa Ibom is a welcome development. Arising from its recent meeting, the State Executive Council presided over by Governor Udom Emmanuel who is also the Chairman of Finance and General Purpose Committee awarded the contracts.
We applaud the state government for awarding the new jobs, considering the deplorable state of many Trunk B and C roads, comprising state and local government roads. This will open the rural areas and unlock agricultural potentials for seamless evacuation for intra- and inter-states’ trades services.
However, we are concerned that the EXCO did not deem it necessary to readily approve funds to contractors for the completion of many ongoing state roads awarded by the present administration. Even the collapsed roads in Uyo, the state capital and those in the local government areas that should have received priority following the approaching dry season missed out in the meeting’s radar.
Time, it is often said, does not wait for anybody. Let the present administration not assume it has much time to execute and complete most of the ongoing roads. Such roads as Nsit Atai-Okobo-Oron Federal Highway, Nsit Ibom-Etinan-Ekpene Ukpa-Awa Iman Road; Uyo-Etinan-Eket Road; and Ukanafun-Ikot Ibritam-Ikot Esenam-East Way Road; Ikot Ebekpo-Mkpat Enin Road deserve speedy attention. Others include Aka-Atan Offot-Afaha Road; Ifa Ikot Okpon-Akamba Nsukarra Road, among others. Within the Uyo metropolis, there are many collapsed streets and ongoing roads.
Much as the new roads have added up the ongoing ones, the government must give the jobs to grade 1, and committed contractors and mobilize them adequately to enhance timely, effective and quality service delivery.
It is befuddling that the state government does not always mention the amounts to be expended on the roads, nor the names of the contractors, thus making the contract looks as kitchen affair in public administration. Why should the government wait for the state Auditor-General and House of Assembly Public Accounts Committee to usually bring its expenditure profile to the public domain for scrutiny? This is a disturbing trend in the state public service delivery.
It is puzzling that the state Ministry of Works and Fire Service does not appoint experienced engineers from the private sector to work as consultants of the project. This may encourage the contractors to do more of their bidding than what is contained in the bill of quantities.
Even when there are many civil engineers in the Ministry, it is often alleged that many of them are not engaged in strict, proper supervision of roads under construction. The civil engineers usually engaged by the Ministry, it is alleged, are neither given means of transportation for supervision nor paid their allowances to motivate them.
For the Udom Emmanuel administration, with less than two years to go, to be seen doing a great job and completing same, it must change the old music of delaying, otherwise, it will end in an era of abandoned roads.
Since the government spends humongous money in constructing roads, it is expedient to do more solid and durable job to help successive administrations spending on the same project but to plough in the money into other development projects beneficial to the electorate.
Akwa Ibom, State Executive Council(SEC), Governor Udom Emmanuel, Finance and General Purpose Committee(FGPC), Nsit Atai-Okobo-Oron Federal Highway, Nsit Ibom-Etinan-Ekpene Ukpa-Awa Iman Road; Uyo-Etinan-Eket Road, Ukanafun-Ikot Ibritam-Ikot Esenam-East Way Road; Ikot Ebekpo-Mkpat Enin Road, Aka-Atan Offot-Afaha Road, Ifa Ikot Okpon-Akamba Nsukarra Road, Auditor-General, House of Assembly Public Accounts Committee, Ministry of Works and Fire Service.
The contract award for the construction of some new roads in Akwa Ibom is a welcome development. Arising from its recent meeting, the State Executive Council presided over by Governor Udom Emmanuel who is also the Chairman of Finance and General Purpose Committee awarded the contracts.
We applaud the state government for awarding the new jobs, considering the deplorable state of many Trunk B and C roads, comprising state and local government roads. This will open the rural areas and unlock agricultural potentials for seamless evacuation for intra- and inter-states’ trades services.
However, we are concerned that the EXCO did not deem it necessary to readily approve funds to contractors for the completion of many ongoing state roads awarded by the present administration. Even the collapsed roads in Uyo, the state capital and those in the local government areas that should have received priority following the approaching dry season missed out in the meeting’s radar.
Time, it is often said, does not wait for anybody. Let the present administration not assume it has much time to execute and complete most of the ongoing roads. Such roads as Nsit Atai-Okobo-Oron Federal Highway, Nsit Ibom-Etinan-Ekpene Ukpa-Awa Iman Road; Uyo-Etinan-Eket Road; and Ukanafun-Ikot Ibritam-Ikot Esenam-East Way Road; Ikot Ebekpo-Mkpat Enin Road deserve speedy attention. Others include Aka-Atan Offot-Afaha Road; Ifa Ikot Okpon-Akamba Nsukarra Road, among others. Within the Uyo metropolis, there are many collapsed streets and ongoing roads.
Much as the new roads have added up the ongoing ones, the government must give the jobs to grade 1, and committed contractors and mobilize them adequately to enhance timely, effective and quality service delivery.
It is befuddling that the state government does not always mention the amounts to be expended on the roads, nor the names of the contractors, thus making the contract looks as kitchen affair in public administration. Why should the government wait for the state Auditor-General and House of Assembly Public Accounts Committee to usually bring its expenditure profile to the public domain for scrutiny? This is a disturbing trend in the state public service delivery.
It is puzzling that the state Ministry of Works and Fire Service does not appoint experienced engineers from the private sector to work as consultants of the project. This may encourage the contractors to do more of their bidding than what is contained in the bill of quantities. Even when there are many civil engineers in the Ministry, it is often alleged that many of them are not engaged in strict, proper supervision of roads under construction. The civil engineers usually engaged by the Ministry, it is alleged, are neither given means of transportation for supervision nor paid their allowances to motivate them.
For the Udom Emmanuel administration, with less than two years to go, to be seen doing a great job and completing same, it must change the old music of delaying, otherwise, it will end in an era of abandoned roads.
Since the government spends humongous money in constructing roads, it is expedient to do more solid and durable job to help successive administrations spending on the same project but to plough in the money into other development projects beneficial to the electorate.
