Imo Saves N4bn From Over-Bloated Contracts

The Imo State Government says it has saved over N4 billion from the re-valuation of road projects awarded by the Ohakim’s  administration.

The speaker of Imo State House of Assembly, Rt Hon. Ben Owajimogu disclosed this in an interview with newsmen, at Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa.

Owajimogu said most of the projects supposedly embarked upon by the past administration were non-existent and dismissed the insinuation that the Okorocha government merely inherited the projects initiated by his predecessor.

“The few roads Ohakim started we are also building them. We have re-valued the contracts because those contracts were over-bloated. The contractors have come to us. We are saving well over N4 billion from the initial price of the contracts. The few roads he awarded which he did not pay for, we are paying for them,” he said.

In the last eight months, he said present administration had constructed and rehabilitated over 1,000 kilometres of roads in the state, while the Ohakim’s government in four years of its tenure did not construct up to 200 kilometres of roads.

“We are intervening not just on road, we are building 305 new primary schools. We are running free education-primary, secondary and university. All Imo State students in Imo State University or any tertiary institution owned by Imo State will go to school free of charge. These are revolutionary projects we are doing,” he added.

The speaker also noted that the state government had commenced the construction of 27 new hospitals across the 27 local government areas in the state, noting that the hospitals would be run by Apolo Hospital, from India.

“This is a government that will not build houses in South Africa, hotels in Lebanon and buy houses in America. Rather we are putting this money right in Imo State and the people of Imo State are seeing it and they are excited about it”, he added.

Reward Akwu