Except the Federal Government moves decisively to remove and evacuate one Bernard Okon Ekpenyong, who aggressively plants fetish “native charms and injunction” on Julius Berger equipment on ongoing works at Itu-Odukpani-Calabar Road, the completion date may be badly affected.
The contractor handling the Itu-Odukpani road, Julius Berger Nigeria Plc, has been violently obstructed and stopped from continuing with the project by one Bernard Ekpenyong at Nkim Itam in Itu Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom state. This was confirmed by the Federal Controller of Works in Uyo, Engr. Ukpong N.
The violent Ekpenyong, who had continued to threaten to violently stop the works over bogus compensation and damage claims by which he seeks to sensationally milk the Federal Government of about N200 million, has finally obstructed and stopped Julius Berger from going forward with the project.
A visit by Forefront to the site indicated that the said Ekpenyong, employed the services of youths of Nkim Itam to carry out his violent disruption of work. This is just as he openly planted fetish material on Julius Berger equipment on site thereby preventing the contractor’s equipment and personnel on site from further work and progress on the project.
Further checks by Forefront at the office of the Federal Controller of Works in Akwa Ibom State revealed that Ekpenyong has no justifiable reason or basis for his ulterior action which is seen as counter-productive and against the overall interest of the various communities affected by the Federal Government project.
Pointedly put, it is a self-imposed mischief against the Federal Government and a deliberate blackmail against the contractor, as claims by Ekpenyong, revealed that the ongoing project had witnessed flood against his petrol filling station in Nkim Itam as a result of a blockade by the same Ekpenyong that resulted in the said flood, yet demanding compensation for his own action.
It was gathered that Ekpenyong was advised against creating the blockade to avoid possible flood but refused to listen to wise counsel only to turn around after the flood to start making unnecessary and unwarranted demand in spite of causing damage to part of the project site.
Reliable information at the disposal of Forefront indicated that in May 2020, the project contractor, Julius Berger Nigeria Plc, wrote and drew the attention of the Works Sector of the Federal Ministry of Works Field Headquarters in Uyo to the channelling of huge surface runoff water from a nearby automobile assembly company to the drain at Ch. 60+000.
In the letter addressed to the Office of the Federal Controller of Works, Julius Berger duly drew the attention of the Ministry to the poor and potentially consequential surface water channelling activities of the automobile company and therefore called for the intervention of the Ministry to get the automobile company to “directly guide its huge runoff water to the valley behind the automobile company’s premises”.
Julius Berger in the letter to the Controller of Works explained that its request for the Ministry’s intervention was to “forestall subsequent overflowing of the drain and flooding of the communities around.”
A dependable source at the Federal Ministry of Works Field Office in Uyo confirmed receipt of Julius Berger’s letter, adding that the Ministry promplyy took action with the Federal Controller of Works paying an unscheduled visit to the automobile company on the issue and directed for the needful to be done, but the company failed to act accordingly and as expected.
As part of its proactive measures, the Ministry, in seeking to avoid a potential flooding, sought and obtained approval from its headquarters in Abuja for the enlargement of the drainage system and also got approval for financial compensation for properties to be affected by the construction of the new and wider precast drainage design.
An Engineer with the Federal Ministry of Works told Forefront that; “To effectively contain the water discharge from the said Car Assembly plant, and to prevent potential flood and damages, the water drainage design was changed from trapozoidal system to a pre-cast U-drain. The purpose technically is to accommodate increase in surface water runoff from the auto company heading towards the road carriageway and to properly channel the surface water flow to a bigger outfall drain.”