From Owen Akenzua, Asaba
Delta State governor, Sheriff Oborevwori said yesterday that work on Trans-Warri road and allied bridges would be completed in two years.
The governor emphasised that site engineers who compromise along their line of duty would be liable for shoddy jobs supervised by them.
Oborevwori, who handed down the warning while inspecting the road project in Warri South Local Government Area, urged the contractor to expedite work on the project and assured of its continuous funding to ensure its prompt completion within two years.
“You are aware that when I went to inspect one project last week they said it was completed and I was supposed to inaugurate it last month, but it is my policy that I must see any completed project before I inaugurate it.
“We went there to inspect the project and there were some issues, and this will serve as a warning to all site engineers who compromise.
“Any one who compromises will face the full wrath of the law. There are procedures for certifying jobs and any site engineer who compromises will be disciplined.”
On funding, Governor Oborevwori assured the contractor of continuous funding for the speedy completion of the project.
“Funding is not going to be an issue in as much as you are doing your job; we will pay you. Once you have a certificate, we will pay because fund is not going to be a problem.
“This project has been crawling; we don’t want it to crawl again. We want to complete this project in good time and the contractor has promised that in 18 months, it will be completed.
“I have come to see for myself whether the money we are paying is commensurate with the job being done,” the governor said.
Oborevwori, who was at the Olu of Warri’s palace in Ode-Itsekiri, said his visit was not just to inspect the project, but to assure the Itsekiri monarch that the project would be completed and inaugurated during his fifth coronation anniversary.
Welcoming the governor, the Commissioner for Works (Highways and Urban Roads), Comrade Reuben Izeze said the project was awarded by the James Ibori administration in 2006 and commenced under Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan’s administration and progressed further under Ifeanyi Okowa’s administration.
The commissioner added that 19 bridges under the main alignment had been completed.
In his remarks, the Olu of Warri, Ogiame Atuwatse III, lauded Governor Oborevwori and his predecessors for their consistency in the project execution and expressed appreciation for the progress made so far.
The governor also inspected the ongoing construction of Omadino Technical College where he summoned the contractors to a meeting to chart the way forward for the quick completion of the project.
