The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has completed 742 projects spread across the 23 local government areas of Rivers.
The commission’s’ Director, Corporate Affairs, Mr Ibitoye Abosede, stated this in a statement in Abuja on Tuesday.
Abosede said the projects, included regional roads, hospitals, bridges, electricity, shoreline protection, reclamation and school hostels.
He quoted the Representative of Rivers State on the board of the commission, Harry Dabibi, as saying that the NDDC had so far awarded 1,688 projects.
Dabibi said that the commission was currently working on 536 projects out of which 140 were big ticket projects.
He added that 742 had been completed, 134 had been inaugurated, while 34 others were awaiting inauguration.
He urged all NDDC contractors to fulfil their obligations to the commission by delivering the projects on schedule and according to specification.
“Contractors that are not on site or fail to keep to specifications will have themselves to blame because the NDDC will not hesitate to take appropriate measures to bring them to book,” he warned.
He said that the big time projects were progressing satisfactorily and expressed satisfaction on the level of work at the 4.72-Km Kaa-Ataba Road and bridge project in Khana Local Government Area.
Dabibi, however, stated that NDDC expected the contractor to put in more efforts to quicken the pace of work.
He noted that some of the problems that had previously slowed down the pace of work on NDDC projects had been addressed.
According to him, the contractors are now paid as soon as they present their Interim Payment Certificates (IPC).
He charged contractors working for the NDDC to buckle up as “the Commission would not entertain excuses for non-performance.
“Our contractors must prioritise prompt and early completion of projects. Where there are challenges, we should know immediately.”
The Rivers State NDDC representative said he was happy with the quality of work on some important projects like the Abalama internal roads in Asari Toru Local Government Area.
Dabibi described the completed projects as not only commendable but a testimony to the commitment of some local contractors to the objective of delivering quality projects to the people.
He decried the level work on the 3.65-km Okrika-Borokiri Road with three bridges connecting Kolabi, Abotoru and Okpoka creeks to Port Harcourt.
Dabibi said that work on the project had slowed down, and pointed out that NDDC was making efforts to quicken the pace of work at the site.
He said that the Niger Delta Regional Specialist Hospital in Port Harcourt comprising Orthopaedic and Cardiovascular units was being replicated in Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom, Cross River and Delta states.
He said that when completed, the Orthopaedic hospital would deal with the correction of injuries to the skeletal system, associated muscles, joints and ligaments while the cardiovascular unit would treat heart problems.
Dabibi also commended the contractors handling the Nigerian Police barracks at the Special Protection Unit, base 6 at Omagwa in the outskirts of Port Harcourt.
He noted that the complex included an administrative building and six blocks of residential quarters.
