Another N3bn contract scandal hits Rivers state governor

By Gbenga Ogundare

Rivers state governor, Nyesom Wike, is not done with his battle against corruption allegations. The  governor has again been accused of stopping construction activities at all work sites in the State, according to concerned citizens and organizations, especially those that operate from the Eleme/Onne axis.

One of the most visible projects that have now been abandoned by the governor, the state’s APC alleged in a statement signed by its Spokesman, Chris Finebone, was the Eleme Junction–Trailer Park Junction interval of the East/West Road.

“Beyond the governor reneging on his promise to provide counterpart funding for the project, the job so far done is far from the over N3billion contributed by companies located in the area. If this is not 419, only God Almighty knows what 419 is.

“For the records, the following amounts were contributed by companies located in the Eleme/Onne axis: Intel Services N1billion, Indorama Eleme Petrochemicals Ltd N500million, Port Harcourt Refinery [NNPC] N300million, and Nigerian Ports Authority [NPA] N250million, among others.”

The rehabilitation of this road, according to the APC, was touted as the best thing to come out of the Wike government; taxpaying companies were made to contribute over N3billion or slightly less than half of the N7billion required for full reconstruction of that section of the East/West Road.

The APC noted that despite the contributions from the corporate organizations, Governor Nyesom Wike has not only refused to provide the government’s portion of the N7billion required for the project but has abandoned it.

“These contributions were made in full by July 2015 and government promised that the reconstruction will be delivered in September 2015. But halfway into January, 2016 users of that section of the road and residents of the area are still breathing in dust occasioned by the state of the project. For over a month now, the company handling the project has left site on account of the Rivers State Government not providing funds for the project.”