NDDC Decries Contract Duplication, Partners Works Ministry

NDDC Decries Contract Duplication, Partners Works Ministry

Adedayo Akinwale

The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) yesterday lamented duplication of contracts by agencies of the federal and state governments.

Consequently, the commission disclosed that it would collaborate with the Federal Ministry of Works to tackle duplication of contracts between federal agencies and state governments.

The Interim Executive Director of Project, Dr. Cairo Ojougboh lamented the trend at a news conference in Abuja yesterday, noting that the commission was being repackaged to meet its objectives. Ojougboh, a former member of the House of Representatives, lamented that duplication of contracts awarded for road construction was leading to multiple payments for same contract.

He stated: “One of the problems of NDDC is conflicts between other tiers of government. You will go to some states to find out that the NDDC would award a contract, the state government would award the same and the local government would award the same.

“You will go to other states, you will see that NDDC is on the road, the ministry of works is on the same road. We need to know where everybody is so that we do not pay contractors twice for jobs that had been done,” the executive director explained.

Ojougboh also revealed that the commission would soon begin distribution of relief materials to over two million internally displaced persons in the 280 communities completely submerged by flood in the Niger Delta.

He noted that Bayelsa, Delta, Rivers, Akwa, Ondo, Imo and Abia states were the worst hit, stressing that all the areas below sea level in those places were completely submerged.

He said: “You know the rains just stopped and the floods are receding. Most of the indigenes of the Niger Delta are in internally displaced camps and they will be going home.

“They will go back home and find out that their houses have become infested with reptiles and other dangerous animals with their property damaged. We have to resettle them. These are the things the commission is considering right now,” he explained.

He noted that the commission “is doing everything humanly possible to send them back home. We are also looking into how to stop the catastrophe, which has been happening every year. Over two million people are affected.”

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