LAW SUIT BREWS ON THE CONSTRUCTION OF NEPA – HOSPITAL ROAD IN AKURE, ONDO STATE.
A law suit is brewing on the construction of the Oba-Osupa-Nepa-Olukayode-Oluwatuyi-Ijoka road project in Akure. The road awarded to a big firm has actually been turned to a conduit to siphon money as the construction firm refused to pay the sub-contractor for relocation of water facilities with a guise to pocket public funds thereby denying the people access to pipe borne water in the future. It has been gathered that while the sub-contractor had gone to privately secure loans to complete his component of the job, the main Contractor feels that since the water facilities are under the ground, there is no point touching them as no one would know not considering the future effect on the people
The Ondo State Government had awarded the dualization of the Oba-Osupa-Nepa-Olukayode-Oluwatuyi-Ijoka road project in Akure including the replacement of ALL likely affected water facilities/pipelines on the road, since the main water Reservoir in Akure is situated along NEPA road.
Ordinarily, once the new drainage by the main construction company was done, it was expected that the sub-contractor would be allowed to work on the underground water pipes and also relocate where necessary, construct water Chambers for its fittings so as to avoid airlock damage of pipelines in future. Also, the Waste water from the Washout that is installed inside the chambers will also be connected to the newly constructed drainage to avoid flood to the host community before the main construction firm build the walkway over the pipelines. Rather than the main contractor allowing this to happen, the firm with its collaborators insisted that the sub-contractor should abandon the water facilities’ relocation work half-way and also abandon the relocation of the remaining facilities. The sub-contractor disagreed with their plan to abandon the relocation half-way and the main contractor now instructed that the relocation exercise mut cease and that the sub-contractor should vacate site for no reason after working with personally arranged credit facilities for over a year. This was resisted by the sub-contractor in the interest of tax-payers and the sub-contractor refused to play ball because such sharp practices would mean the excavation of the road in the future whenever government wants to reticulate water to the metropolis. This insistence on doing what is right and proper is the beginning of a serious battle between the main contractor and the sub-contractor.
It is to be noted that the sub-contractor had obtained personal LOAN to relocate the water pipes and replace where necessary so as not to delay the main construction/dualization project.
It is important that the general public rise up to say no to shady practices of contractors and their collaborators in Ondo State. It is important that Government itself shows interest so know how its funds are spent.