Award of Bali-Serti Road project, duplication of effort- Gov. Ishaku tells FG
Jethro Yerga, Jalingo
The Executive Governor of Taraba State, Arc Darius Dickson Ishaku has said that the award of a fresh contract for Bali- Serti Road in Taraba State by the Federal Executive Council, is not only an unnecessary duplication of effort but an act that had created a wrong and misleading impression to the public.
In a press briefing held at the Government House Jalingo, the governor through his Special adviser on media and publicity, Bala Dan Abu expressed shock that the said contract which had earlier been awarded to P.W Nigeria Ltd by the state Government had received laud accolade at the recent Federal Executive Council meeting.
The Governor stated that the 115km road which was earlier awarded to P.W Nigeria Ltd and reconstructed through the initiative and funding by the Taraba State Government had only a few bridges on the road remaining to be completely fixed.
“The award of a fresh contract for this same project by FEC is not only an unnecessary duplication of effort but also to create a wrong and misleading impression.
“Ordinarily, the development would have been a thing of joy for the government and people of Taraba State except that it has given a wrong impression about the present state of the road and the work already done on it by the Taraba State Government on behalf of the Federal Government”. He stated.
The Governor who reminded the Federal Government that Taraba State was yet to be fully refunded the money it had expended on the portion of the road project, appealed to the Federal Government to pay Taraba State Government its outstanding balance on the portion of the project it had done to enable the state complete the remaining job on the bridges while the Federal Government embark on the second phase of the road from Serti to Gembu, another 115km road that led to the headquarters of Sardauna Local Government Area of the state.
Governor Ishaku however, commended the Federal Government for the interest it had shown in the road project, pointing out that the project is crucial to the implementation of the Mambilla Hydro Electricity project.
