…warns site engineers against shoddy jobs
by Emmanuel Abi Couson
Delta State Governor, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, on Tuesday, said that work on the protracted Trans- Warri road and allied bridges would be completed in two years, just as he drew the red line for site engineers supervising projects for the state government.
He emphasized that site engineers who compromise along their line of duty would be liable for any shoddy jobs supervised by them.
Governor Oborevwori handed down the warning while inspecting the Trans Warri Road and bridges in Warri South Local Government Area on Tuesday.
He urged the contractor to expedite work on the project and assured of its continuous funding to ensure prompt completion of the project within two years.
“You are aware that when I went to inspect one project last week they said it was completed and I was supposed to inaugurate it last month, but it is my policy that I must see any completed project before I inaugurate it.
“We went there to inspect the project and there were some issues and this will serve as a warning to all site engineers who compromise.
“Any one who compromises will face the full wrath of the law. There are procedures for certifying jobs and any site engineer who compromises will be disciplined.
“We have assured Deltans that we will not accept sub- standard jobs and we will make sure that jobs are properly done.
“I like visiting projects to see what has been done and what is left; we have come and we have seen the project which has been crawling for the last 17 years.
“I have asked the manager when the project can be completed and he told me 18 months; so, we are very sure that in the next two years this project will be inaugurated.”
On funding, Governor Oborevwori assured the contractor of continuous funding for the speedy completion of the project.
His words: “Funding is not going to be an issue in as much as you are doing your job; we will pay you. Once you have a certificate, we will pay because fund is not going to be a problem.
“This project has been crawling; we don’t want it to crawl again. We want to complete this project in good time and the contractor has promised that in 18 months time it will be completed.
“I have come to see for myself whether the money we are paying is commensurate to the job being done”, Oborevwori said.
Oborevwori, who was at the Olu of Warri Palace in Ode-Itsekiri, said his visit was not just to inspect the project but to assure the Itsekiri monarch that the project would be completed and inaugurated during his 5th coronation anniversary.
Welcoming Governor Oborevwori earlier, the Commissioner for Works (Highways and Urban Roads), Comrade Reuben Izeze, said the project was awarded by the James Ibori’s administration in 2006 and commenced under Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan’s administration and progressed further under the Okowa’s administration.
The Commissioner added that 19 bridges under the main alignment had been completed.
In his remarks, Olu of Warri, Ogiame Atuwatse III, lauded Governor Oborevwori and his predecessors for their consistency in the project execution and expressed appreciation for progress made so far.
He said: “We will continue to encourage the contractors even as the Governor has promised continuous funding for the project. We will all be on their necks to make sure that this project is finally completed.
“We are very proud that we were able to drive through to Ode-Itsekiri. We are blessed to see the manifestation of this project in our time and we look forward to the inauguration of this project during our 5th anniversary.”
In a related development, Governor Oborevwori also inspected the ongoing construction of Omadino Technical College where he summoned the contractors to a meeting to chart the way forward for the quick completion of the project.
