Diko, who spoke to State House correspondents after making presentations to President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, stated that the Ministry of Works has been asked to review the contract cost of the project.
He also said the Commission has also identified some errors in the project.
He said: “The second Niger Bridge is one of the projects that we discussed with the President. We did say yes it is in the commission for regulatory oversight. We have been discussing the transaction with the ministry of works. But before it can be finalized, the commission has to give a certificate of compliance, but we haven’t given that because we have seen a lot of issues that we are uncomfortable with.
“We are talking with the ministry of works for them to correct it. The communities around that area are clamouring that their lands have been taken and that they have not been compensated adequately.
“As a matter of fact we got a letter from Onitsha traditional council complaining that they have not been adequately represented in this transaction. These kind of issues, we are not saying that something has not been done properly but we need to be convinced that these few problems are sorted out properly.
“We will also talk about the actual cost of the bridge, eventually we have asked the ministry of works to review it and justify how much the project should cost.”
However, since the emergence of President Buhari, there have been growing fears, especially from prominent Igbo leaders and built environment experts that the Federal Government has dumped the construction of the project.
The bridge which was flagged off on March 10, 2014 by former President Goodluck Jonathan is expected to be completed in 48 months (March 2018).
Measuring about 1,590 metres long the bridge whose construction cost was put at N117, 860, 700, 741.82, VAT inclusive, forms part of the 11.90 kilometer length project.
Although, officials of both the Federal Ministry of Works and Julius Berger Nigeria Plc, have severally denied reports that work on the project has been discontinued, Vanguard had earlier gathered that only skeletal works are ongoing as most of the workers have allegedly been retrenched by the contractors. Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
The cost was highly inflated. GJ could not even see that though. Shame
ReplyDeleteSo many probs, we have not heard these sentence to death or 80 years in jail for pulling the country backward 50years. These thieves are commiting treasm to the country. The country need pull them down to the grave too or spend 80years in prison without parol.
ReplyDeleteIf we find out, that bridge has no light o with that huge cost. Roads in naija woth inflated cost never have lights, we are not of darkness, things must change.
ReplyDeleteWe are not surprised that the work should be stopped bokohari. We will still vote GEJ.
ReplyDeleteSomeone shuld help me tell Baba go s**w dat nigerian did not vote 4 him for senseless and endless probe.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous 11.30pm and 3.35am, please stop talking as you people are not Nigerians. Let us reason together so that this country we call ours can be great once again. It was far better than US economy in the early 60s and 70s. Please what happened in just 45years? instead of becoming very great, it was retarding because we the people that should be asking questions were busy defending corruption and encouraging our leaders to steal more on ethnicity and religious basis. This has to stop. I have two kids and I want them to grow up in this country and be proud to be call Nigerians. Let us think deep before we write please. God bless Nigeria
ReplyDelete