Facts have emerged on why the contractor (Oriola Ajibola), who handled the estimated N220million by pass road linking Shagamu and Itoikin/Ijebu Ode Roads which was commissioned recently performed woefully.
We learnt that it is mandatory for the contractor to work with a panel of five members of the Federal Low Cost Housing Estate CDA. But an official of this CDA told Oriwu Sun that Oriola met the panel only once and gave each of the five members N10,000 mobilization fund with a promise to meet with the panel on a regular basis but that he vanished thereafter and would not pick their calls; hence, there was no monitoring of the project by the CDA because according to the source, the contractor was evasive.
Residents along the road also complained about the poor quality work saying that the gutters are so thin while the embankments and drainage plan is not sound. They also complained that the road work blocked access to their homes and that the contractor and his workers would not listen to anyone’s complaints. Together with the Federal Low Cost Estate residents, the call was for the contractor to reconstruct the road and not patching it.
Also, youths of the area who were poised for a major protest late September on the day the road was commissioned, were said to have been settled by the contractor with a huge sum of money; hence, the protest could not hold.
The Lagos State House of Assembly was said to have invited the contractor for screening. An engineer at the work site told Oriwu Sun that the legislators only told the contractor to do a good job. Even when Oriwu Sun asked one of the site engineers why they were patching the road instead of full surfacing, the site worker was said to have kept quiet and later walked away.
On that day when our reporters sighted someone who was said to be the contractor and who was wearing a brown t- shirt, he craftily dodged away.
Oriwu Sun did not give up. Our reporter met the new Sole administrator of Ikorodu North LCDA, Mrs. Okeowo, who confirmed that the contractor was doing patch work on the road for now, whereas the consensus by other stakeholders was that the road should be resurfaced in order not to rubbish the excellent work and standards Governor Ambode is doing in the state. They also called for the black-listing of the contractor as a way of sanctioning him for the bad job he has done.
After determined efforts, Oriwu Sun eventually got through to the contractor, Oriola Ajibola, on phone. We confronted him with all the allegations from the stakeholders,. and he told Oriwu Sun that because Governor Ambode had scheduled the commissioning of that road on a particular day, he and his workers rushed the work. The asphalt on the road, he said, had not settled before the commissioning; hence, the caving in and the consequent patch work going on. He agreed that he was doing something to take care of the entrances to the houses of residents of the areas.
On the issue of resurfacing of the road, he said he will do so after the patch work and promised that very soon, he would complete the job and invite the press to inspect it and cover the day.
On the CDA panel, he confirmed that he met with them once and gave them N50,000 but alleged that they were asking for more money and that he told them it was not part of the provisions in the contract.
He pleaded with all the stake holders to bear with him pledging that he would do a good job to convince them that he is a competent contractor.
One of the residents of the area, who simply identified himself as Mr. Abudu, summed up the general feeling that people are not concerned about the amounts that were spread around but they are more concerned about the quality of the work done, since everyone must eat out of his sweat and work place.
Oriwu Sun gathered from the residents that they are also concerned about the flamboyant lifestyle of most of the former council chairmen, who buy new cars soon after leaving offices or build new mansions or complete structures they were building before taking up such appointments, showing how lucrative the council office is.
Others, they claimed save money to contest next elective positions.
Who can beat Nigerians in matters of corruption,? asked one resident.