Senior Special Assistant to the President on Niger Delta Development Commission, Sen. Ita Enang, on Saturday said he was disappointed with the quality of work done on Calabar – Itu highway by Julius Berger.
Enang, had paid an unscheduled visit to the site on Saturday, to assess progress of work on the badly dilapidated road.
Recall that the Next Edition had published an in-depth report on how the Calabar-Itu Highway project, which was abandoned by the Federal Government, had cut off Akwa Ibom and Cross River states.
Following the report, the Federal Government brought in construction giant, Julius Berger, to carry out some palliative work on some failed portions to enable motorists enjoy free flow of traffic during the Yuletide season.
However, on visiting the site Saturday, Enang said the construction giant, Julius Berger had disappointed the Federal Government.
He said the company did not do a good job considering the volume of traffic that would be passing through the highway.
“We came to look at the road, the Calabar – Itu highway.
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“We were here two weeks ago and they agreed that since this area is under their contract, we cannot bring in FERMA or NDDC or any other invention agency to come and work on it, that they will come and rectify 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 bad, and worse than it was.
“I will be going back to the Federal Ministry of Works, so that the Controller of Work 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,” the presidential aide said.
Enang reiterated the Federal Government’s committmet to providing good infrastructure to the benefit of all the citizens across the country.
