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The Enugu state government has warned contractors handling World Bank projects in the state to execute their contracts in line with approved project specifications.
This is even as the state government re-assured that it will live up to its obligation in payment of counterpart fund for speedy completion of rural access roads across the state.
The Coordinator, Enugu State Rural Access and Mobility Project, Chinedu Ugwu who stated this in Enugu expressed worry over the slow pace of work by some contractors and warned that those who failed to meet the delivery date would have their contracts revoked.
“The contractor’s pace appears slow but the supervision consultant made them understand they need to work faster because of the rainy season.”
“There are also reservations of some who are not serious. We are still working hard to ensure that they deploy more people to work so that we will be able to achieve delivering date”.
Speaking on the quality of work being done, Ugwu said that some contractors are doing a good job but there are some that need improvement.
“What we have found out is that most of these contractors are not used to World Bank jobs, because World Bank jobs entail super supervision.
“If you are not abiding by the rules, you will find yourself in a situation where you can do 90% job but your delivery will be less than 40 % and that is exactly what we found out.
“Most of them have actually done the job that could have fetched them 90% of what they are supposed to have done. Because of their methodology and their inability to listen to the supervising consultant, you see them doing so much work but nothing to show for it”, Ugwu added.
He said the state is committed to opening up the rural areas which informed the allocation of 443 million Naira in the 2019 budget for the construction and rehabilitation of rural roads across the state.
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Meanwhile, the National Coordinator, Rural Access and Mobility Project, Ubandoma Ularamu has commended Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi for his commitment to rural development.
Ularama also commended the contractors for using quality material for the projects.
Ularamu who led a team of World Bank, French Development Agency and the Federal Project Management Unit on a mission supervision of world bank projects to Enugu said the Enugu state government has not fared badly in payment of its counterpart fund but advised the state to step up its commitment so that project affected persons could be compensated in due time to ease their sufferings.
“Actually, there are about 115km of roads being rehabilitated under Phase 1 of the project and we visited some roads in two LGAs in the state (Oji River/ Isi-Uzo). I was surprised to see the level of development that is going on there”.
