Agroup under the aegis of the Itsekiri Development Congress has called on the Niger Delta Development Commission to provide 25 per cent mobilisation for its contractors to fast track development in the troubled region.
Chairman of the group, Mr. Emmanuel Okotie-Eboh, who spoke with our correspondent in Warri, Delta State, said that the recent directive given by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo to all contractors of the commission to go back to site or face prosecution was commendable.
Okotie-Eboh said, “Most projects awarded in the last two years are yet to be executed, but if funds are made available, these projects can be completed before the end of the first tenure of President Muhammadu Buhari and it would be a great credit to his administration.
They should pay all the contractors that have done their jobs and also pay those carrying out ongoing projects.”
The IDC boss, who is a son of Nigeria’s first finance minister, late Chief Festus Okotie-Eboh, advised the NDDC Board to devise a means of paying contractors’ mobilisation fee of at least 25 per cent on every contract.
He added that the commission could demand advance payment guarantee from the contractors so as to guarantee the advance fee.
“In this way, the contracts will be executed and the contractors will benefit. Imagine the multiplier effect of the success of this policy in the region.
The commission will eventually succeed in developing the region and its people. If the contracts are awarded to the people and they are mobilized, the contracts will be executed, the people will be happy and the restiveness in the area will gradually become history.
“There are no tangible projects on the ground to justify its existence and huge budget already spent. It is rumoured that debts to contractors are in hundreds of billions of Naira.
Since 2015, most contractors, who got the contracts before the new board as political party patronage, have not mobilised to site because of lack of funds and some did not go through due process and some can be rescued and mobilized for quick development of the region because none execution of these projects is delaying the needed development of the region”, Okotie-Eboh said.
He also suggested that contracts earlier awarded in some areas and are yet to be started as a result of lack funds, should be re-awarded and a 25 per cent mobilisation should be paid to the contractors.
“The Federal Government should not think of even considering individual state development approach but should go ahead to implement development issues directly with the states.
It will be a welcome development because we will now know who to hold responsible for the underdevelopment of the area then. We should not allow politics and selfishness to undermine the development of the Region,” he added.
