By Abubakar Yunusa, Abuja
The Residents of Chikakore community in Kubwa FCT, have call on the FCT Minister to investigate the abandonment of the access road project contract fully awarded and paid for over a decade ago to “Parsons Science Engineering Company Limited” without executing the work.
The Community make this know yesterday in Abuja, through a protest letter summited to the acting Permanent Secretary to the FCT Mr Udo Samuel Atang for onward delivery to the Honorable Minister of FCT Barr Nyesom Wike.
According to the leaders of the communities which include the Chairman Chikakore Hillside ,Mr Ismail Olaposi Yusuf and the Secretary of the Community Association Barr Ihekwoaba Paul said that this community road construction has taken years without seriousness on the part of the contractor.
“We the Chikakore Community Development Association on behalf of the entire residents of Chikakore Community, Bwari Area council of the Federal Capital Territory with the aim of fostering development and peaceful co- existence in the entire Chikakore Community, that the Chikakore / Bwari Access Road connect several communities within the Bwari Area.Council of FCT. with your commitment that you have shown in FCT in your few month as the FCT Minister, we want to let you know that that due to the deplorable condition of the Chikakore / Bwari access road the past FCT Administration over a decade ago awarded the Construction of the said road to Parsons Science Engineering Company And the Contract was fully funded for the execution of the construction of the said road”,
It will interest you to know that Parsons Science Engineering Company limited only did a retaining work on a local bridge and then abandon the contract till date despite having been fully mobilized to execute the contract, it is noteworthy to state that our numerous efforts to rehabilitate the road through community self help despite the fact that we are aware that the road was awarded by the FCT Administration to the said company over a decade now we have been contributing our personal resources for the levelling, grading and filling up with laterite etc.
In additional effort we have written concerned stakeholders such as the Nigeria building road research institute, Towns Development department , representatives of the FCT at the National Assembly to come to our aid by making sure that road projects is completed but not much has been achieve till now, that the problem created by the deplorable condition of the said road has cause people lives and has been the bane of our development since resident small and medium scale enterprises / businesses in these areas do not have access road to the metropolis our appeal is for the Honorable Minister to mandate the Contractor to move to site and execute the access road project as it has become moribund, a death trap and no longer motorable and the peoples have suffer untold hardship.
The Coordinator of the protest / Leader of the Community Mr Stephen Joseph, said this “Save our Soul” protest became necessary after the community have patiently waited for the contractor to do the road since it was first awarded in 2012 and the company fail to construct the road we deem it fit to come here and tell our able and workaholic minister to direct them to come and complete the project.
Standing in for the Minister to address the protesters, the Acting Permanent Secretary FCT, Mr Udo Samuel Atang, thanks the community leaders for their peaceful protest, “you know the Minister want the FCT resident irrespective of your affiliations to be beneficiciaries of Mr President renewed Hope Agenda for Nigerians and the Minister will do everything possible for the comfort of FCT residents , be rest assured that your complaint will get to him and you will see positive result, he could have been here to received you people but am standing in for him you people are aware that the Minister has been busy touring around all the area Councils in FCT in other to end the insecurity problem we are facing today we want you and your community to join hand and support the Minister in ending this menace by providing information to the security agencies for a better FCT of our dreams, your request will be attended to accordingly” Atang said.
Some of the Inscription in the protesters placard include: “Our Father Wike help us”, “Our road is a death trap contractor has fail”, “Please Save Our Soul”, etc.
