By Jimitota Onoyume
PORT HARCOURT — THE Trans-Kalabari Road project has again suffered a major setback in the hands of indigenous contractors handling it.

Governor Chibuike Amaechi gave this indication weekend, when he literarily wept before the traditional ruler of the Kalabari Kingdom, the Amayanabo of Kalabari,  urging him to prevail on his subjects, who were awarded the contracts to refund the 40 percent mobilisation fee given to them to commence work.

This is not the first time this project would suffer this kind of setback in the hands of local contractors, it was observed. The project which was first awarded by the administration of former Governor Peter Odili had a similar experience.

Meanwhile, some people from Kalabari, who reacted to the appeal of Governor Amaechi to the Kalabari Monarch, wondered why the Governor failed to invoke the law on a sensitive issue as the Trans-Kalabari Road project.

They  argued that they had expected the Governor to take necessary steps against the contractors, since they (contractors) had breached the agreement reached with the state government on the project.

The Governor, who made the appeal at the Palace of the Monarch, said it was clear the contractors had abandoned the project after collecting huge sums of money from government. Governor Amaechi who was in the area as part of his town hall meetings in various local government areas, said  government was determined to complete the project.

He said teachers posted to rural areas will earn incentives from the government as a way to encourage them.
While lauding the performance of the Asari Toru Local Government Area Chairman, Mr. Ojukaye Amachree, the governor advised him to scrap the alleged ‘boys’ he keeps as private police or else he would be arrested.