Abia abolishes use of contractors to patch potholes – Commissioner
From Boniface Okoro, Umuahia
Abia State government says it would no longer use contractors to effect minor road rehabilitation works in cities in the state, especially Aba and the state capital, Umuahia.
The Commissioner for Works, Engr. Don Otumchere Oti, who announced this during a meeting with the engineering staff of the Ministry, informed them that the hitherto practice of awarding contracts for minor road repairs, such as patching of potholes, was over.
Oti said that the government has resolved to use engineers of the Ministry to execute such road rehabilitation projects to achieve the administration’s zero-pothole policy.
The Commissioner, who frowned at the previous method of engaging contractors for the minutest road maintenance work, such as mere patching of street potholes, stressed that such anomaly would no longer be tolerated.
He said that no responsible government would spend its scarce resources in such a manner when there was a legion of professional engineers on its payroll.
For the purposes of achieving the government’s zero-pothole objective, Oti explained that Umuahia metropolis, which would be used as the pivot to kick-start the road rehab project, would be divided into three zones, for sustained, easy maintenance of the township road network. With time, he added, the policy would be extended to Aba and other parts of the state.
He emphasised that engineers in the Ministry would be assigned to each of the divisions, with the mandate of tackling potholes at their early stages before they get out of hand, adding that the assigned engineers would be held accountable for any lapses in the new government directive.
The Works Commissioner assured that government would provide the engineers with the necessary materials for the assignment, including logistics, safety kits, among others. He, therefore, charged them to discharge the assignment diligently and with expertise for optimal results; as no excuses would be condoned.
Responding, the Director in-charge of the Ministry, Engr. Ejike Agomoh, applauded the Hon. Commissioner for the laudable initiative and described it as a step in the right direction.
Agomoh further said that engineers in the Ministry were poised to discharge the duties for which they were employed.
He noted that the Commissioner, being well grounded in the field of engineering, would, no doubt, drive the Ministry to an enviable height and complement the efforts of Governor Alex Oti in achieving his vision in road infrastructural development in the state.
The Director, on behalf of engineers in the Ministry, pledged their unalloyed support and loyalty to the Commissioner and Dr. Alex Otti led administration.
Director of Information of the Ministry, Ifeanyi Okpan, in a statement, disclosed that the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Domestic Affairs, Mr. Chuka Ofili, Directors and Heads of Departments and all the engineers in the Ministry, were among those who graced the meeting.
