Edo community head, motorists calls for speedy completion of road rehabilitation – Nigerian Observer
Oza – Motorists and other road users plying the Evbuobanosa-Iru-Oza-Igbanke road in Orhionmwon local government area of Edo state have called on the contracting firm handling ongoing rehabilitation work on the road to speedily complete the project.
The people who spoke with our correspondent in midweek maintained that the project should be completed before the raining season impede its progress.
They commended the project facilitator, Hon. Patrick Aisowieren, member representing Orhionmwon/Uhunmwode at the Federal House of Representatives.
According to the traditional head (Odionza) of Oza community, Chief Amadin Idehen, the rehabilitation has been going on smoothly before the construction firm stopped work recently.
“They started well initially; suddenly they just abandoned the job”, the Odionza told The Nigerian Observer.
Also, a commercial bus driver who specializes in the transportation of agricultural produce from the area to other parts of Nigeria, stressed that if not completed the road condition may become worse.
“Trucks almost finished the road, but thank God say them don dey do am now. The road fit go too bad if them abandon am and can become where dem dey rob people”, the driver identified as Mr Akenbor said in pigin English
Recall the newspaper in October last year reported the poor state of the road caused by heavy duty trucks that diverts through the area to reconnect the Agbor-Asaba-Onitsha expressway due to failed portion of Agbor/Igbanke section of the Agbor-Uromi road in Delta State.
The development further put pressure on the trunk B road linking the communities to Benin city the state capital, before the federal lawmaker who is a member in the house committee on Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) facilitated the project.
Efforts to get the lawmaker to speak on the project he facilitated was unsuccessful as calls to his mobile number was not returned as at the time of filing this report.
But, a source who understands the contractual agreements between the federal government and the firm handling the rehabilitation project attributed the stoppage of work to lack of funds.
“When you award a contract, you first release 25 percent especially on road projects to start work.
“As a contractor, you work to an extent; and you will not want to be indebted because you don’t want to go borrow money to work and be paying interest when you don’t even know when money will be released to you again”, the source told our correspondent
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