By Isaac Olamikan, Senior Correspondent, Benin
Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has stressed that the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) must executive quality projects in Edo State.
Governor Obaseki said this when he addressed a plenary of the state chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) at the Bishop Kelly Pastoral Center in Benin City, the state capital.
According to him, “NDDC claimed to have used N20 billion to construct roads in the state in the last eight months. We went to President Muhammadu Buhari to complain and it has led to the order of a forensic audit.”
The governor said the new board of the commission must work with the state government in ensuring that its projects are of high quality and meet relevant specifications.
“I want the new NDDC board to work with Edo State and follow our specifications for road constructions, which are of high quality,” he said.
Earlier, when the executive of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) visited the Government House, the governor also raised concerns on the shoddy jobs executed by the commission.
The governor maintained the need for quality projects by the commission against the background of complaints by residents in the state of the substandard quality of projects by the NDDC in the state.
Recall that he had conducted a committee of the National Assembly to the scene of a project, where a poor job by a contractor had blocked a man hole and caused flooding, which sacked a community and destroyed property worth millions.