Don’t Play Politics With Ogoni Development, Group Warns
…Urges Fubara to Revoke Road Contracts
From ERIC MOORE, Port Harcourt
The Khana Patriotic Stakeholders and Professional Forum (KPSPF), have warned politicians not to play politics with development in Ogoni land, Rivers State.
It has also decried projects abandonment in Khana Local Government Area of the State and called on the Governor Siminalayi Fubara-led government to revoke contracts award to contractors handling road projects in Bori, the traditional headquarters of Ogoni people.
The group identified all the road projects and the General Hospital in Bori, Khana LGA, which are yet to be completed, noted that the contractors had abandoned the projects after receiving over 80 percent payments.
It would be recalled that Governor of the State, Siminalayi Fubara, had visited same Bori road projects two weeks ago and expressed displeasure over the abandonment of road projects, and called on the contractor(s) to return to site.
Speaking yesterday, a prominent Ogoni son and a professional, Chief Gani Topba, urged the governor to quickly revoke the road projects and re-award same to a capable contractor.
Topba said: “Today, professionals from Khana Local Government came to inspect the government road projects that are in Bori, so that we can know the issues affecting the completion.
“Former governor, Chief Nyesom Wike awarded this contract and he didn’t release money. It is also on record that the present governor has released money for the project.
“But, from what we are seeing today, what they have done is not even up to N500,000,000. We are worried about this. The governor has asked the contractor to return to site. But, for one week now, they have not returned. They only came here and dropped one of their equipment.
“So, I appeal that the governor should revoke the contract immediately and re-award it to a competent company that can deliver it so that Khana people can enjoy.
“We cannot be waiting for a contractor that is not ready to deliver. They should revoke the contract and then recover their money already paid to the contractor. We won’t wait.
“If the governor does not cancel the contract, we the Ogoni people will mobilise a protest to government house to request that he cancels the contract. We cannot be begging a contractor who signed a contract and to deliver same in six months. But, this is one year, the project is still uncompleted.
“Returning the contractor to site is not an option because if he returns, he will not do a proper thing. Let the State government get a capable contractor to do the job.”
Another member of the group, Cyril Owuno, said: “This street is one of the longest streets in Bori. This is the second time this road is suffering this kind of abandonment. We frown seriously at this.
“We want to sincerely thank the Governor with the level of mobilisation he has done to the contractors to ensure that roads are constructed. This means that governor loves Ogoni, he loves Bori.
“We don’t want anybody to play politics with the development of Bori. If you are having internal problems, you don’t tell people to leave site. His Excellency, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, means well for the people.
“The crisis in the state has affected the project. Why is it that when it comes to developing Bori, politics comes in? We frown at it because Bori is one of the satellite cities in the state.”
Ends.