posted
Drama in Benue House as Ministry Opts for Settlement With Contractor
Vanguard (Lagos)
February 8, 2005 Posted to the web February 8, 2005
Godwin Akor Makurdi
THERE was a mild drama at the Benue State House of Assembly yesterday when the State's Ministry for Water Resources which threatened to terminate the contract awarded to Andre-Edwardo Nigeria Limited due to poor execution of job at the Orokam erosion control site in Ogbadibo local government area of the state said on the floor of the House that it had decided "to sort out things with the contractor".
Last week, the Commissioner in-charge of the Ministry, Barrister Sani Ochijele, had told the House that two contractors were handling the erosion control project at Orokam and that only Andre-Edwardo Nigeria Limited was found wanting as it did not execute the contract according to specifications.
He further told the House that his Ministry had, in view of the shoddy job done by the company, decided to terminate the contract. He explained that the second contractor, Ongbo Nigeria Limited, had done a good job, so, his Ministry has decided to continue to do business with it.
Ochijele also told the House that the Chairman of Andre-Edwardo Nigeria Limited, Chief Agbo Madaki, could not appear on the floor of the House because he had travelled to Abuja. After listening to the Commissioner, the House gave him the go-ahead to encourage Ongbo Nigeria Limited to do more work as the people of Orokam had expressed worries that erosion would devastate the entire area if the job of controlling it was not completed before the rains set in.
The House which was also presided over by the Speaker, Mr Mzenda Iho, also resolved that Andre-Edwardo Nigeria Limited should be invited for a fair hearing. It was when the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Andre-Edwardo Nigeria Limited, Chief Agbo Madaki, appeared on the floor of the House with the introduction of his company and himself, explaining that he was different from the company that the members began to think that he may explode.
The fears of the House however became erased as the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry for Water Resources and Environment, Mr Terna Ahua, who represented the Commissioner said in spite of what transpired at the House on Thursday, the Ministry would sort out things with the contractor.
In spite of the House's acceptance that the Ministry should handle the matter, Chief Agbo, Madaki wrote a letter to the Speaker of the House of Assembly, alleging that it was because he refused to give bribe to the Ministry's officials that it threatened to terminate his company's contract.
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