By Nasir Kura
South-east governors on Wednesday called for the review of the completion period of the 2nd Niger Bridge from 42 months to 24 months and payment for the contract sum of N206 billion to be increased to 50 percent from the current N7 billion that has been released to the contractor, Julius Berger.
This was disclosed by Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi state while felding questions from State House correspondents after a meeting between President Muhammadu Buhari and the South-east governors at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
The governor said the meeting was mainly on infrastructural development of the region and had political undertone or anything to do with the 2019 general elections.
“We came to thank the President on behalf of South East for the award of the Second Niger Bridge to Julius Berger at the sum of N206 billion. We understand that N7 billion has been paid as mobilization, so we came to ask the President if there is the possibility of paying up to 50 percent of the sum and secure the other 50 percent as bond so that we can sleep with our two eyes closed and be assured that the job will not be abandoned.
“We also asked that the construction period be reduced from 42 months to 24 months. We made it clear to Julius Berger that it is achievable. We are also asking for economic free trade zone in Eyimba in Abia and he promised to come and commissioned it, the license has been given. We also thanked him for that economic free trade zone.
“And then we talked about the Enugu international airport, we asked him to deploy the cargo section of the airport, complete the building, extend the runway and also rebuild the runway because it is very bumpy and the tarmac light is not functioning. We also thank him for the roads and we reminded him that the slow pace of work was attributed to the rains, now that the rains are gone the contractors are complaining of no funding. So we requested that he should do something about the funding,” he said.
