Okowa Declines Comment If EFCC Will Be Call To Investigate Controversial Asaba Airport Contract

Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State has wave off possibility of calling in the anti-graft agency, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate the controversial Asaba International Airport which have gulped billions of naira yet remain unfinished.

The airport project have been a subject of discourse in the state for past one month when the Delta State House of Assembly opened an oversight investigation into the work done so far by the contractor hired to handle the project.

Fielding questions from journalists at an interactive session held at Government House Asaba, the state capital on Monday, specifically if the EFCC would be called to probe the contract, the governor said that the state government was still trying to manage the contract so that it don’t result to litigations.

“On the Asaba International Airport, it is a contract that we are trying to manage because we are embarking on that project not to go to court, we have really suffered alot on that project so we needed to manage the process so that it doesn’t result to litigations.

According to him, the contractor may have possibly withdrawn from the project at the wake of the state government call for advanced payment guarantee around the month of September or October.

“Because the implications of that guarantee that we have called so that all money expended in the project have to be reconciled so I think the contractor withdrew after we made that call.

He said that besides the runaway contract which was reawarded at the eve of the past administration, the contractor had about six other different contracts in the Airport project which are also in moribund state.

“This particular contract of reconstruction of the runaways and accellary facility was little less than N5.1billion and the mobilization was about N2.5billion because that was the contract the previous government entered into with the contractor.

According to him, the contractor was mobilised in October 2015 for the reconstruction of the runway and leveling of the airport hills and was supposed to finish up by March 2016 but had unfortunately failed to meet the contractual deadline of delivering the project within the period of four months before it withdrew from continuing with the execution of the project.”

“It is important that we realise that the state is bigger than any individual, we mounted a lot of pressure on the contractor handling the project, but, with all that, the work was still very slow; we did a 50 per cent mobilization and the prohect is supposed to be completed within a period of four months,” he said.

“We made the mobilization in October, 2015 but, the job is less than 25 per cent done and the contractor has pulled out.”

Continuing, he said, “we, as a government, have accepted the withdrawal of the contractor from executing the job, in few months’ time, the job will be re-awarded to a credible contractor with a track record of project delivery.”

Meanwhile, reactions have continued to trail the ongoing investigation of the contract by the Delta State House of Assembly committee on Works headed by Chief Evance Ochuko
Ivwurie.

While reacting to development, an aide to Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, Prince Efe Henry Duku had posted in his facebook page querying if the state government would allow the contractor walk away with the huge money collected over the failed project work.

“Senator (Dr.) Okowa just announced that a NEW multi-billion Naira contract will be awarded to a “competent contractor” for the Asaba Airport Project.The need to urgently complete that airport project cannot be overemphasized.

“Meanwhile, nothing is happening to the sacked “incompetent” contractor. An arrogant contractor who, having allegedly received over N50 Billion on the project, is reportedly threatening the lives of members of the House of Assembly for daring to ask necessary questions on the huge financial malfeasance that the project has become. So, we are admittedly allowing one incompetent” contractor” to walk away with our billions of Naira just like that! Jesus Christ is Lord!!!

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