Isoko Group, IMG Partners PPDC, SERAP, Others On Shoddy, Abandoned Projects In Delta

The Isoko Monitoring Group (IMG), an advocacy, unbiased and non partisan non-governmental organisation, has entered into an alliance with the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) and an Abuja based NGO, Public Private Development Centre, (PPDC), on projects monitoring in Delta state.

The group stated this following what its called the increasing rate of shoddy and abandoned projects cross the oil-rich state.

President of IMG, Dr. Oke Michael, (PhD), gave the hint shortly after a training session for its members facilitated by an official of the Public and Private Development Centre (PPDC), Onyekachi Chukwu, at the Noble hotels, Oleh, headquarters of Isoko South Council Area.

Speaking, Dr. Oke said that the group is ready to partner with governments at all levels, as well as engaging in meaningful partnerships with renowned budget and contracts implementation monitoring NGOs and anti corruption agencies to ensure that quality projects that meet contract specifications are henceforth executed in the state.

Specifically, the group named the Emore road Oleh, the Ikpide-Irri township road, Isoko South council area and Ozoro-Idheze road, Isoko North council, as some of the shoddily done or abandoned projects that would be in the forefront of its campaign for quality project work.

According to the group’s President, Oke, the partnerships with anti graft agencies and other civil societies such as SERAP is to empower her with the right tools to get access to information including details of awarded contracts, funds released, and to monitor projects execution against contracts specifications and level of fund released.

“The development in the Niger Delta region is not commensurate to the wealth that the region is contributing to the commonwealth of Nigeria.

“We put this very important training on Access to Information, Public Procurement, Project Monitoring and Open Contracting together to equip the Isoko people and critical developmental advocates with the needed skills, knowledge, ideas and insights to demand for fair projects placement on our national and state budgets, track those projects and monitor the execution of such projects in Isoko land, Delta and Niger Delta.

The group however frowned at the alleged gross marginalization of Isoko ethnic nationality in terms of projects distribution in the state and federal annual budgets, vowing to ensure that every kobo released for project execution in Isoko land must be accounted for.

With this initiative, “IMG is to be putting all contractors on notice that Isoko land is no more safe for anyone to execute shoddy jobs as every one naira released for projects in the land will henceforth manifest physically as a durable infrastructure and anything short of that, they will strengthen partnership with similar organisations to ensure that every kobo meant for projects in Isoko which enters private pockets are vomited”.