By Polycarp Onwubiko
A Federal Agency, Nigerian Building and Road Research Institute (NBRRI) has allegedly stalled ongoing federal constituency project in the Anambra Central senatorial district.
Senator Uche Ekwunife during her four- year tenure in the Senate sponsored/attracted the rehabilitation of Amawbia-Kabe school junction-Nise road bypass.
The contract for the road rehabilitation was awarded to Chief IKB, a well known indigenous road contractor and the managing director of MAS Resources Limited.
The company had done a lot of work on the road rehabilitation, includIng grading, heaping of laterite and construction of a large culvert to carry volume of flood water down to the nearby stream.
Sadly, the road rehabilitation work-in-progress stopped for over a year.
Speaking to the press, IKB expressed sadness over the stoppage of work even as the much that had been done had been devastated to some extent by the flood water during the rainy season.
He attributed the stoppage of the work on the failure of the funding agency, NBRRI probably because of the absence of the ebullient Senator Uche Ekwunife who used to prod the staff of the funding agency to be prompt in the release of funds to complete the road rehabilitation in a record time.
He however expressed optimism that the present Senator representing Anambra Central senatorial district, Senator Chief Victor Umeh, would take up the prodding even as he said he had discussed with him( Umeh) in Abuja on the urgency of the resumption of the road rehabilitation project.
He said, “Immediately the NBRRI starts to release the funds seamlessly, the road rehabilitation project will be completed”.
In another development, a contractor and philanthropist, Chief Ikenga umuawulu, interacting with the press said he had, out of passion, mobilized his company to resume work on the road rehabilitation to an extent.
Ikenga said his company had done both sides of the drainages, adding that the apparent delay in completing the road rehabilitation project was the relocation of some electric poles which when completed, the remaining work of tarring would commence.
Also speaking to the press, the Deputy Speaker of Anambra State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Chukwuma Pius Okoye (Ozo Mgbuluobi Amawbia) who commended Chief Ikenga Umuawulu for his gesture, said apart from being his distant relative, his close friendship with him ignited his passion to undertake the road rehabilitation to a section which ended to his residence.
He expressed optimism that within few weeks, the tarring would be done.
In his contribution, the Commissioner for works, Engr. Ifeanyi Okoma said he was not aware of the federal constituency project.
He however appealed to well-to-do Ndi Anambra to key into Governor Soludo’s “Public Private Project (PPP)geared towards uplifting the living standard of the people.
He said Soludo’s policies, programmes and projects were geared to touch every community but would be a gradual process given the limited financial resources of the state.
Polycarp Onwubiko, JP, is a media commentator, Awka Anambra state
