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The Ministry of Rural Development has issued a one-month ultimatum to contractors handling Rural Electrification Projects (RECs) in the State to deliver the projects or be sanctioned.
Giving the ultimatum last Monday during a meeting with the contractors in Uyo, the Commissioner for Rural Development, Rt. Hon. (Barr.) Ekong Sampson expressed concern about the slow pace of work by some contractors in delivering their jobs.
Barr. Sampson, who reiterated the commitment of the Udom Emmanuel administration to the development of rural areas in the State, enjoined contractors to consider partnering the state government an obligation towards actualising the laudable objectives of government.
He maintained that such partnership would instill the confidence of state government in the ability of the contractors to work, restating that government will not hesitate to sanction defaulting companies, particularly through termination of contracts.
The Commissioner who thanked the contractors for attending the meeting, said it created a forum for interaction, as well as provided opportunity to resolve gray areas in the electrification and other projects, promising the readiness of his ministry to look into the issues raised by contractors.
Speaking on behalf of the contractors, a representative of Diamond Engineering Company Limited, Uyo, Mr. Bankole Sampson, said most jobs within the company’s scope were near completion.
Sampson lamented that some contractors could not energize their facilities due to their inability to link to the national grid and vandalism of some electrical installations, as some factors responsible for delay in handing over the jobs to government, as schedule.
