By Kelvin Obambon
A socio-political group, Cross River South Consultative Forum has accused the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Cross River State chapter of conniving with an indigenous construction firm, Sermatech Nigeria Limited, to underdevelop and defraud Cross River State, the Federal Government and the suffering masses.
The group in a statement made available to The Paradise News on Friday, chided the NSE for rushing to defend Sermatech on the issue of incompetence in executing the Odukpani-Itu-Ikot Ekpene federal road project awarded to the company in 2020.
The forum, however, reaffirmed its earlier call on the federal government to revoke and terminate the construction contract awarded to Sermatech, maintaining that the company is incompetent to execute the project, hence its inability to complete the dualization and resurfacing of an existing road made up of 28.8 kilometres and 4 short bridges over a period of 3 years.
Below is the full statement:
Re: ROMANCE OF SERMATECH AND NIGERIAN SOCIETY OF ENGINEERS (CROSS RIVER STATE BRANCH) AND THE UNANSWERED QUESTION OF INCOMPETENCE AND UNTOLD SUFFERINGS OF THE MASSES ON CALABAR – ITU FEDERAL HIGHWAY
We refer to the publication contained in Guardian Newspaper of 3rd December, 2023 captioned – SERMATECH, Nigerian Society of Engineers “tackle” group’s misinformation on Calabar – Itu Road construction” wherein representatives of both SERMATECH and Nigerian Society of Engineers NSE “Lambasted” Cross River South Consultative Forum (CRSCF) for so called misinforming the public over the ongoing dualization of the portion of the Odukpani – Itu highway.
Cross River South Consultative Forum is not surprised at this publication and attempt to defend incompetence, ineptitude, and fraud by SERMATECH and its pay rollee, NSE. To say the least, the principal actors behind the suffering of the masses on this highway are beginning to unveil their shield of complicity in the underdevelopment of our poor State. We call on patriotic Cross Riverians and the suffering masses to ask the following critical questions:
Why has the NSE rushed to put a joint defence with SERMATECH if it has no pecuniary benefit to defend in this construction saga brought to the fore by the CRSCF?
Whether an Association that has integrity and public safety at heart should not exhibit manifest objectivity by condemning incompetence in order to protect the wellbeing of the populace rather than forming an amalgamation of strange bed fellows in attempting to bully CRSCF into silence, for reasons best known to NSE. No doubts, the payer of the piper dictates the tune.
Why did SERMATECH display photographic evidence or picture of the portion of Itu-Uyo Road constructed by His Excellency Senator Godswill Akpabio during his first tenure as Governor of Akwa Ibom State and handled by Julius Berger, rather that pictures of the actual construction site or portions awarded under the current dualization contract. This picture is clearly on display in the guardian newspaper publication referred to above.
Has SERMATECH in any way rebutted the statement of fact that the first appearance on the construction scene in Cross River State was for the construction of Jonathan Bypass and the state of the Road currently speaks for itself and is evidence of gross incompetence?
Has NSE while rushing to file a compromised defence for SERMATECH by casting aspersions on a well-meaning body like CRSCF, commented on the state of the Jonathan Bypass filled with collapsed culverts? NSE was fast in loading praises on its sponsor by commending the track record of SERMATECH while evading the nearest evidence of incompetence as exhibited along Jonathan Bypass.
Finally, the suffering masses of Cross River State should question further the length of time that a so called competent Engineering company should take to dualize and resurface an existing road made up of 28.8 kilometres and 4 short Bridges, as acknowledged by SERMATECH and NSE, having in mind that the contract was awarded and paid for since 2020.
In conclusion, we state as a group of Cross Riverians who are committed to the development of our State and the desire to break the culture of silence that has placed our State on perpetual underdevelopment, that the portion of the road awarded to SERMATECH runs from the Power Plant in Odukpani to Oku Iboku in Akwa Ibom State and has the following Bridges:
The bridge across Atan Onoyom River just after the Independent Power Plant in Onim Ankion ward. The Bridge across Calabar River. The Bridge across Okoyong River
The Bridge on Cross River. And the Bridge across Ayadeghe Estuary in Itu Akwa Ibom state.
On site inspection of the project will reveal the truth and attempt by these bedfellows to deceive the general public.
The stretch from Calabar River to Efut Mkpara junction in Onim Ankion ward and the stretch from Obot Obio Inwang in Odot ward to Calabar River are the most deplorable parts of this Road and is an area under the construction of SERMATECH.
Other failed projects handled by SERMATECH with the knowledge of NSE includes Ikom – Alesi – Ugep – Calabar Federal Highway, an unending construction that has lasted for several years now.
We reiterate that a journey by the ordinary Cross Riverian or the man on the street, through the three major projects handled by SERMATECH will affirm the position of CRSCF that SERMATECH lacks the competence, equipments and manpower to continue and deliver on the multi-billion naira contract awarded for the dualization of portions of Calabar – Itu Federal Highway.
That NSE has its vision beclouded by pecuniary reasons, in supporting this company. Their connivance with SERMATECH to underdevelop and defraud Cross River State, the Federal Government and the suffering masses is manifest in the distortion of facts, insinuations and aspersions casted on the Cross River South Consultative Forum.
We reaffirm our commitment to the delivery of good service to our people by calling on the Federal Government through the Minister of Works to terminate this contract awarded to SERMATECH and its crony NSE.
This appeal is made in good faith as a stitch in time saves nine. We await further response from SERMATECH and NSE for us to finally publish a list of fraudulent Cross Riverians who aided and abated the award of this portion of the road to this incompetent construction company in preference to Julius Berger Nigeria Limited.
He who lives in a glass house should not throw stones.
HON. BARR. JOSEPH E. ETENE
REV. HON. JAMES ANAM
HON. VICTOR E. OKON
SIR MAURICE EFFIWATT
HON. (CHIEF) ANI ESIN
HON. MRS ADA CHARLES EGWU
PROF. (BARR.) EMMANUEL EYO
HON BARR. EYO NSA EKPO
CHAIRMAN.
End.