A socio-cultural group in Abia State, Ntighauzo Amairi Progressives, has carpeted the forensic auditors set up by the federal government for failing to physically verify the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, abandoned road projects in Ntighauzo Amairi and Isiala Ntighauzo communities in Obingwa council area.
The forensic audit firm handling the physical verification of projects in Abia State has verified projects in some council areas of the state.
Briefing journalists in Aba, Chairman of the group, Mr. Adindu Johnson, lamented that the forensic auditors have concluded its verification of projects in other parts of Obingwa council and Abia state without verifying the Apu na Ali and the Iferife roads which were abandoned by the NDDC contractors since 2016.
He disclosed that the group has made several efforts to get the contractors handling the two road projects to return to site to complete the roads
He said ; “We are worried about the Apu na Ali and Iferife roads which were abandoned by the NDDC contractors in our community. We have made several efforts to get them to return to site to complete the roads, all to no avail. We have carried out protest marches calling on the NDDC to direct the contractors to complete the roads which have become a death trap in our community.
“We were happy when we learnt that the federal government set up forensic auditors to verify the NDDC projects in our state. We have been waiting for the auditors to inspect or verify the projects which were abandoned in our area, but we were informed that they have concluded verification of NDDC projects without verifying the status of the Apu na Ali and Iferife roads, whether they were abandoned or completed. They verified projects in Isiala Ngwa, Ukwa East and a health centre in another community in Obingwa. Why did they shun the abandoned NDDC projects in Ntighauzo Amairi and Isiala Ntighauzo communities?
“Our people can no longer ply the road because of the huge stones the NDDC contractors dumped on the roads. Our vehicles and motorcycles are punctured daily. The stones are causing accidents every time. We have contacted the two contractors, but they have refused to return to site. Ntighauzo people have been subjected to untold suffering because we have been cut off from the two major roads that link us to Aba town. We are crying to the federal government to come to our aid.”
