Delta community residents commend state govt for road project
…Plead for more roads
By Dave Okpogadie, Asaba
The people of Ikpide-Irri community in Isoko South Local Government Area of Delta State has commended the Delta State government for the road project in the community.
The residents expressed their appreciation while speaking with a group of journalists that visited the community.
During Dr Ifeanyi Okowa’s first term in office as the Executive Governor of Delta State, the Ikpide-Irri community experienced the presence of government for the first time when the state government awarded the construction of the roads in the community to Portplus Limited.
The road contract was attracted through the singular efforts of Chief Immanuel Emoefe, and being an illustrious son of the community ensured that the road project was executed with all the expertise required to make it stand the test of time.
Besides ensuring that the quality of the road project was not in anyway compromised, the length of the project in the Bill of Quantity was 3 kilometers which Portplus eventually made 3.5 kilometers at his own expense.
“To adequately appreciate this road project, it is pertinent to highlight some of the peculiarities of this community.
Ikpide-Irri is in a terrain that is annually a ready host to devastating flood. That translates into the reality that any road project in the community must put into consideration annual flood. The way out was concrete road and this is way more expensive than the normal road construction”, Comr. James Ajise, a former youth president of the community, told newsmen.
“The road was awarded with ring culvert but being a flood prone terrain, the contractor decided to use box culvert which is also costlier.
“We are satisfied with the job done by the contractor and the state government. Before now, the community could only be accessed through the waterways, but as at today, you all drove your vehicles down here and we all are happy about it”, he added
It was learnt that the project which was awarded at the cost of N735 million was later reviewed to over a billion Naira to reflect the rising cost of materials due to inflation.
It was also learnt that the Ikpide-Irri road project was the biggest single road project in the entire Isoko nation in Okowa’s first term.
Some residents revealed that when the road was nearing completion, controversy set in as certain group of persons in the community felt the road project was not being done to specifications according to the Bill of Quantity. These persons claimed that the quality of materials was compromised and as such called on the state government to determine the contract.
These residents expressed their worries that such condemnation of the contractor and his efforts would affect the community negatively as no one in the near future would be willing to attract any developmental project to the community for fear of attacks.
Accordingly, some members of the community staged a peaceful protest where they expressed their satisfaction over the quality of the road project.
They were of the opinion that those condemning the contractor over the road project did not mean well for the community, while some even insinuated that the refusal of the contractor to give out bribes led to the attacks on the road project.
According to them, not less than two Commissioners for Works in the state at separate times visited the community to ascertain the situation of the road project.
Today, the road project which covers eight (8) streets have all been delivered and awaiting commissioning to the joy of the rural dwellers who have been rejoicing over the first road project in the community.
While expressing their joy at the completion of the road project in the community, residents used the occasion to appeal to the state government to bring more road projects to other parts of the community.
“As a people in one accord and unity, we are pleading with the state government to award the second phase of the internal road construction to enable us feel more impact of government”, the former youth president added.
