BOTHERED by lackadaisical attitude of some contractors and delays in completion of its roads and infrastructure projects, Ebonyi State Government has procured equipment for its Ministry of Works and Transport to handle certain caliber of projects instead of contracting them out.

Disclosing this in his office, the state Commissioner for Works and Transport, Chukwuma Nwandugo, an engineer said the government believes that with enough equipment, government can handle some of the projects instead of letting it on contract. He said that the sum of N300 million have been expended on the first phase of the programme to procure low bed, Mark truck and caterpillar.

On the immediate use to which the equipment would be put, the Works Commissioner added: “We procured these equipment mainly for our dams. We are trying to build dams in all the three rice mills locations because each of the rice mills is gigantic, with five tonnes per hour capacity machines. So they need so much water and that much quantity of water we cannot guarantee from ordinary sources, bore holes and piping from where ever”.

On how the Ministry plans to solve the challenge of sourcing personnel to operate the machines, Nwandugo said: “It will not be business as usual; the people to operate them would be well trained and well monitored by this office together with the office of the governor. That is the agreement. The governor is going to be part of the management of the office; so the equipment will actually deliver to our expectations because if we leave them in the hands of the wrong people, less than six months the equipment would be gone,” he declared.

The Commissioner said Mantrac Caterpillars has agreed to “help us train those that would handle the equipment and guard jealously the movement of the equipment from one point to another”.
He disclosed that the Ministry decided to cancel certain contracts because the contractors were not doing well adding that the affected contractors have been contacted to reimburse the state government.

Throwing more light on the revoked contracts, Nwnadugo said they include, Effium –Ezzamgbo road; Ugbonha; Odomowo-Agbaenyim road; Army boundary road between Ochoudo city and Army Barracks covering about 5.2 kilometres and Nwankwo alike-Nkwuda road market that was supposed to be done by Breco.

He observed that most of the contracts were awarded to indigenous companies in a bid to encourage local contractors. “There is no need giving contracts to outsiders that would take the money to go and develop their place. At the same time there is no need giving contracts to local contractors that will spoil the name of the government, spoil the road and the contract and use the money,” he said.