Senator Ita Enang, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Niger Delta Development Commission, has expressed his displeasure over the shoddy work done on Calabar-Itu highway by the contractor.
NAN reports that Enang, who paid an unscheduled visit to the site on Saturday, said the construction company, Julius Berger, had disappointed the Federal Government.
He said the Federal Government two weeks ago directed the construction company to undertake palliative work on some failed portions to enable motorists enjoy free flow of traffic during the Yuletide season.
According to him, Julius Berger had informed him that the palliative work on the failed portions were completed.
He expressed surprise that the contractor did not do a good job in view of the volume of traffic that was passing through the highway, with the flak coming a few days after the firm also got a low score for its handling of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
Enang said: “We came to look at the road, the Calabar-Itu highway.
“We were here two weeks ago and they agreed that since this area is under their contract, we cannot bring in FERMA (Federal Emergency Road Management Agency) or NDDC (Niger Delta Development Commission) or any other intervention agency to come and work on it.
“I see now that they have brought in just laterite to pour on this place, without anything that can stabilise the ground, and so the road has gotten worse and worse than it was.
“I will be going back to the Federal Ministry of Works so that the Controller of Works will come with Julius Berger, who is the contractor, to at least agree with them that this is not good.
“They gave the impression that there has been a remedial measure, that people are passing on this road.
“Yes, people are passing, it is better than before, but right now what I am seeing here is not what it is supposed to be.
“The laterite they poured last week is all gone. And there is no rain now, but it is washed off. So it is not satisfactory.
“Since this area is under their contract and being under their contract, not much can be done, by way of intervention, because they will be interfering in some other person’s contracts.”
NAN