The House of Representatives ad-hoc Committee on Abandoned Projects (Works) has made shocking discoveries on the true state of the contract award for the dualisation of the Odukpani-Itu-Ikot Ekpene Federal Highway which traverses Cross River and Akwa Ibom state.
The committee, which went on a tour of the project, described the contract as fraudulent and designed to fail.
The legislators vowed that the National Assembly would not allow the project go the way of other abandoned projects across the country.
The Odukpani-Itu-Ikot Ekpene Federal Highway is the major gateway between the North and South-South region but due to the heavy traffic on the road coupled with years of neglect, the road has become a nightmare for users.
The contract was awarded to dualise the road by the Buhari led administration about two years ago but little or nothing has happened on the project after initial activity just before the election.
The House Committee on Abandoned Projects went on a fact finding mission to the project and a presentation by the contractor, Julius Berger Nigeria, showed that of the N8bn advance payment which was to be paid on the N55b contract only N4b had been paid which explains why only 4km of earth work had been done by the contractor on the 21.9km project.
Chairman of the delegation, Francis Uduyok described the contract as a sad commentary on Nigeria.
Uduyok promised that the House of Representatives would deal with the situation.
