By Emman Ovuakporie

ABA — MEMBERS of the House of Representatives on a nationwide inspection tour of federal roads, Tuesday, mandated the Federal Ministry of Works to produce the road design for Owerri-Aba road or face legislative sanctions.

Also, another scientific test conducted by the Reps on Olokoro-Ahiakwu-Itaja-Obuohia-Ikwuano road woefully failed the standard test.

Chairman House Committee on Works, Ogbuefi Ozomgbachi, had insisted at the Aba-Owerri road site that all necessary documents pertaining to the road must be produced by the Ministry of Works, as  they could not afford to toy with the road considered very important.

He however demanded to know why the contractor just moved to site as what had been done was less than 1km.

Site engineer of Arab Contractors, Mr. Ahmed Salah, could not give Ozomgbachi a satisfactory answer on why they just moved to site.

Ozomgbachi immediately summoned the Federal Controller, Engr E Nwankwo, who could not also give him any cogent reason the contractor just moved to site.

However, the Director in charge of South East states, Engr Godwin Eghieye, later explained that the contractors had challenges with issues of road re-design and demanded for compensation by community dwellers whose lands were affected.

Still not satisfied, Ozomgbachi demanded for the contract sum  paid so far for the road contract, but the Federal Controller could not produce any answer.

He summoned the site engineer who said N300m had been paid but could not remember the total contract sum.

At this point, Ozomgbachi declared:  “We will not tolerate this any longer, at a site you ministry officials  could not produce a road design and even the profile of the job being executed?

”You have two weeks to produce all relevant information and documents pertaining to this road or be ready to face legislative actions.

” If you delay this work more than this the contractor will come and ask for variations and augmentation, this committee will not tolerate any further delay.”

On the failed portions of Olokoro-Ahiakwu-Itaja-Obuohia/Isicourt-Ikwuano road, Ozomgbachi noted thatthe exercise was not designed to witchhunt anybody but save lives of Nigerians on the highway and ensure that tax payers money did not go in vain.

”We shall come back after laboratory checks must have been made from what our eco-system and currying machines extracted from the culverts and pavements,” he said.

It would be recalled that another federal road located on Owerri-Umuahia road in Imo State also failed Reps’ standard test conducted via an eco-system test and currying machines last Monday.