NDDC expresses zero tolerance for abandoned projects

The new board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) says it has zero tolerance for abandoned projects geared at impacting the living standard of the people.

The Commissioner representing Akwa Ibom State on the governing board, Samuel Frank, who dropped the hint during a tour of the commission’s permanent state office complex in Uyo, described as sad, unfortunate and unbelievable the level of work at the complex

“We went out to look at projects on ground, those ongoing, completed, stalled so that we can move from there. We started with the state headquarters of our office. The contract was awarded since 2012 with N60 million mobilisation. From what we saw, it is only block work.

It is not impressive at all. It has lasted for four years, we have to buckle up,” he warned.

The commissioner promised to draw the attention of the commission’s Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer and the governing board to issues militating against execution of the project as well as ensuring that all projects were backed with adequate funding for real time delivery.

According to Frank, President Muhammadu Buhari was passionate about the development of the oil-rich Niger Delta, cautioning that any contract awarded should be diligently executed.

He assured contractors that the debts being owed would be looked into with a view to addressing the situation just as he warned directors under him against colluding with contractors to compromise standard and quality of work.

Earlier, the contractor said funding was impeding the smooth take-off of the project, promising to deliver the complex in 18 months if sufficient funds were made available.