Erosion Projects: BSHA Seeks Mobilisation Fees For Contractors

The Benue House of Assembly’s Standing Committee on Water
and Environment has urged the state government to pay mobilisation fees to
erosion project contractors in Gboko Local Government Area (LGA).

The committee’s Chairman, Mr Godwin Akaan, made the appeal
on Wednesday during the committee’s oversight functions to projects in the
Gboko and Tarka LGAs.

He said the payment would help to ease ecological problems
in the area.

“Government’s inability to pay mobilisation fees to the
contractors has made the residents in Gboko to face erosion challenges,’’ the
legislator said.

He, therefore, urged the state government to pay up the fees
to facilitate an early take-off of the projects.

Akaan also called on the General Manager, Benue State
Sanitation and Environmental Agency, Mr Ediga Akpa, to immediately deploy men
to clean up Gboko town.

He blamed the water shortage in Tarka on poor access roads
linking Wannune to the Earth Dam, situated about five kilometres out of the
town.

“The Ministry of Works and Housing has to collaborate with
the Ministry of Water Resources to provide good water to the residents of Tarka
LGA,’’ Akaan said.

The chairman advised the contractor handling the Wannune
earth dam to expedite work on the project to enable the people have potable
water.

Mr Friday Adodo, manager of A.G.B Nigeria Ltd., told the
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) at the site, that the Ministry of Water Resources
was responsible for the delay in completing the work.

“The ministry was not up to date with payments. Out of N136
million that was the total contract sum, the ministry has so far paid N129
million, leaving the balance of N7 million unpaid,’’ he said.

Adodo explained that the entire contract would be given an
upward review to cover extra costs, saying the review would cost an additional
N15 million.

“This is owing to the delay in the payment of the total
contract sum which has resulted to delays in contract execution,’’ he said.