Imo awards N40bn roads contracts
Imo State government says it has awarded over N40 billion contracts for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of dilapidated roads in the state including federal roads.
Governor Emeka Ihedioha in a parley with newsmen in Owerri on Monday said that 25 of the road contracts had been procured with 19 scaling through procurement process and 15 percent mobilisation fee paid to the contractors.
He disclosed the federal roads for reconstruction and rehabilitation to include Owerri/Orlu road, Owerri/Okigwe road and Owerri/Umuahia road, saying that 16 reputation companies were engaged for the work.
Ihedioha said that sign boards for the projects with names of the contractors would soon be displayed for public consumption, adding that he was intent to establish good governance through the Bureau for Public Procurement.
Ihedioha lamented over institutional decay in the state as well as court garnishee orders. According to him, the state received N4.8 billion to N5 billion as monthly all allocation with 75 percent allocated to salary wage bill.
The Governor explained that the commission of inquiry put in place by his administration on contract review and that on forceful acquisition of land by the immediate past administration in the state was in response to deluge of petitions by aggrieved individuals and not designed to witch-hunt anybody.
He said: “I picked professionals without a single politician as members of the commission and I asked them to do the needful without fear or favour. I did not set up the committee to witch-hunt anybody or just to celebrate probe and the Bureau for Public procurement which is already working transparently was meant to serve the state well”.
The Governor, who justified the introduction of a Single Treasury Account (TSA) in the state, said that while the state internally generated revenue (IGR) had been increasing with N877 million, the state’s monthly salary wage bill stands at N2.7 billion, just as about N1.1 billion is being deduced monthly from the federation account consequent upon the bail out funds.
Additionally, the Governor said that N280 million is being saved monthly from pension refund while the monthly payment for pension gulps around N6.8 million.
He reiterated his determination to run a transparent Government with the principle of separation of power in place.
The Governor said that 16 companies of high repute are already working in the state, just as 10 youths from each of the 27 LGAs in the state are being trained on modern agricultural techniques as part of his youth empowerment package.
According to him, the state is set to bid for the national sports festival with over N200 million injected in the renovation of the Dan Anyiam Stadium Owerri while ultra- modern sporting equipment are being installed to bring the sporting arena to international standard.
“Without a strong economy, you cannot advance the growth of Imo and institutional building is about resources,” the Governor said, adding that he is working round the clock to renovate to decayed infrastructure and the education sector.
