Obi Assures Army Of More Road Contracts

The Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi on Thursday assured the Nigerian Army that the state government would award more of its road construction projects to its engineering regiment in Onitsha.
Obi gave the assurance after inspecting the on-going Onitsha Barracks Road Reconstruction and Expansion Project being executed by army engineers.
The governor said, “This is part of the government’s recognition of the Nigeria army engineers expertise in road and civil work construction.“
He said that he had observed that works in the state handled by the army were delivered in “a cost effective, quality and speedy manner’’.
Obi said,“they have helped us to build two difficult bridges, two difficult hanging bridges in this state. In fact when our people were presenting and trying to ask an American firm to come and talk about building hanging bridge and everything.
“I say you people don’t know what you are talking; this thing is already been done by the Nigerian Army; that is not what we are looking forward to, they are doing this already.
“They have done two in Anambra State in very difficult circumstances and all that. When we have problem we always go to them.
“Like I told them, when I came in here in one of my visits, I said no! your road cannot remain like this, the barracks cannot remain like this. You give me the cost of direct labour. And I can tell you, it has been wonderful.
“And I told them that I am going to write for permission; when they complete this road, they can come we give them contract and they do some of the roads. It keeps them busy and they can earn something from it, he stated.’’
Our correspondent reports that the N200 million barracks road project, awarded to the army engineers, is being executed via direct labour.