By Austin Ogwuda

Asaba – MOVES by members of Delta State House to probe the activities of contractors handling mega projects in the state might have been truncated.

Reliable sources said highly-placed people have been allegedly approached to intervene and ask for the suspension of the exercise.

The sitting of the committee, set up to investigate the contractors by the House which was supposed to commence this week, has not begun and there is no sign that the assignment would take off as earlier planned.

Chairman of the panel, Prince Johnson Erijo, who is also the Deputy Majority Leader of the House had, in a statement, called on ministries to submit documents relating to award of contracts in 2007 not later than yesterday.

Erijo’s statement said: “Following the setting up of Administrative Panel of Enquiry for failed contracts in Delta State by the Delta State House of Assembly during its plenary on Wednesday, all government ministries/departments/parastatals and their agencies are requested to submit 10 copies of lists containing details of contracts awarded since June 2007 till date by the Delta State Government and details of the amount of such contracts ranging from the N100 million and above.”

Speaker of the House, Victor Ochei, while constituting the panel had given the committee two weeks to turn in their report and asked them to commence work this week.

Meanwhile, the second reading of a Bill seeking to domesticate the Freedom of Information Bill, FoI, is expected to be taken this morning when the members of the House are expected to resume.

Member representing Ughelli North I Constituency in the House, Mr. Samuel Mariere moved for the presentation of the Bill.

The Bill reads: “That leave be given to bring in a Bill for a Law to make public records and information more freely available, provide for public access to public records and information to the extent consistent with the public interest and the protection of personal privacy and for matters connected therewith, short-listed Delta State Freedom of Information Bill, 2011.”