The new Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, will adhere strictly
to due process and not consider political patronage as a criterion for
awarding contracts.
Speaking while on a project site tour of NDDC projects in Ondo State,
the Commission’s Managing Director, Nsima U. Ekere, expressed dismay
at the attitude of the contractor handling the three-storey NDDC
hostel complex at the Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA),
abandoned since 2009.
He declared: “We will take measures to safeguard the funds expended on
this project. When contractors claim to have a capacity they don’t
have, they give the NDDC a bad name. Henceforth, projects will not
longer be awarded as political patronage. With measures being put in
place, such incidences will not happen in the New NDDC. We will invite
the full weight of the law on erring contractors.”
Ekere directed the NDDC State Director for Ondo State, Mr. Weli
Wanoru, to suspend further construction activity on the site and
ensure that an integrity test is conducted on the project to verify
the current state of the concrete structure.
“It appears the contractor is no longer interested in this project.
Let work on this site be suspended. Going forward, we will get a
consultant to conduct an integrity test. If this project is to
continue, we don’t want to compromise on the safety of the students.”
He condemned the attitude of the contractor towards the project,
noting that he had been paid more than the quantity and quality of
work done at the site.