By Paul Osuyi, Asaba
Youths of Ikpide-Irri, a creek community in Isoko South Local Government Area of Delta State have again raised the alarm over alleged sub-standard job being executed by contracting firm in charge of a N1.5 billion road project. It is not the first time, the concerned youths protested against what they described as shoddy execution of the access road project.
The youths under the umbrella of Concerned Indigenes of Ikpide-Irri (CII) vowed to send the contractor to jail for alleged execution of sub-standard job. They marched round the riverine community armed with placards of various inscriptions.
Some of the placards read; “Give Ikpide-Irri Standard Road”, “Ikpide-Irri People Say No To Substandard Construction”, “All We Are Saying Is Good Job”, “Ikpide-Irri Deserves Standard Road Not Cut And Nail”, “EFCC, ICPC Other Anti-Graft Agencies Must Hear This”, “Ikpide-Irri Road Contract Is Not Your Kola-nut But Our Right” and “Do Good Job Or End In EFCC, ICPC Cell.” They called on the contractor to adhere strictly to standards or be ready to face anti-graft agencies.
One of their leaders, Blessing Ese, who is also chairman, Ikpide-Irri Progress Union (IPU), Ughelli branch, lamented: “The most painful aspect is that the contractor is an indigene of the community. For over three years we have been protesting against his shoddy job, he refused to change for the better.
“Following our protest, the contract was reviewed upward to almost N2 billion, yet he continued to use sub-standard materials for us. God bless the executives and members of the Isoko Monitoring Group (IMG) for all the support and speaking against the shoddy project.
“We are therefore warning and calling on the contractor to as a matter of urgency and importance, execute the contract according to the state government specifications using the approved BEME and BOQ for the contract. Can you imagine, this kind of swampy terrain, the contractor used 10mm rods for the construction of culverts instead of required 16mm rods according to the BOQ.”
A visibly angry protester, Emmanuel, fumed: “Enough is enough. Already the Delta State Government said indigenes must take charge of projects domiciled in their community and monitor such projects. These people have taken us for a ride for too long.
“Government and private monitoring teams of engineers visited this project and they condemned the shoddy job. In 2018, government condemned this same project and described it as shoddy. This is pure wickedness and greed. We will no longer watch anybody to short-change us because of greed and selfishness.”
A representative of the firm, Potplus, Iyke Chidindu, said: “Since the commencement of the contract, there has been one complain or the other, protests upon protests as a result of internal issues among them.
“They keep saying we are not doing the right thing and I don’t know the right thing they want us to do. I don’t want to talk more than this.”
The state government had in 2017, awarded a N736.4-million concrete pavement road contract in Ikpide-Irri to Potplus. After series of protests against shoddy work on the road, the contract was reviewed upward to the N1.5 billion.