No More Political Patronage in Contract Awards, Says NDDC

Ernest Chinwo in Port Harcourt


The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has said it will adhere strictly to due process and not consider political patronage as criteria for awarding contracts.

Speaking while on a project site tour of NDDC projects in Ondo State, the Commission’s Managing Director, Nsima Ekere, expressed dismay at the attitude of the contractor handling the three-storey NDDC hostel complex at the Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA), abandoned since 2009.

He declared: “We will take measures to safeguard the funds expended on this project. When contractors claim to have a capacity they don’t have, they give the NDDC a bad name. Henceforth, projects will no longer be awarded as political patronage. With measures being put in place, such incidents will not happen in the New NDDC. We will invite the full weight of the law on erring contractors.”

Ekere directed the NDDC State Director for Ondo State, Mr. Weli Wanoru, to suspend further construction activity on the site and ensure that an integrity test is conducted on the project to verify the current state of the concrete structure.

“It appears the contractor is no longer interested in this project. Let work on this site be suspended. Going forward, we will get a consultant to conduct an integrity test. If this project is to continue, we don’t want to compromise on the safety of the students.”

He condemned the attitude of the contractor towards the project, noting that he had been paid more than the quantity and quality of work done at the site.