Gov. Diri Expresses Disappointment Over  Nembe-Brass, Onuegbum-Otuoke Road Projects

Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri on Thursday, inspected the ongoing Nembe-Brass road project.

Speaking to newsmen, the Governor expressed his displeasure, saying, that, he is not comfortable with the level of sand filing done on the road so far.

The Governor urged the contractor to speed up the sand filling job and challenged them not to disappoint the Government.

“I am not very comfortable with the level of sand filing you have so far achieved. We have a timeline for the completion of this work and I don’t want anybody to ever think that we are playing politics with this road.

“And we know why we have awarded this Nembe-Brass road , because we know the importance of this road leading to Brass and I don’t want you as contractors to disappoint the Government.  And that is why I am here today to make the point that this road means a lot to us.

“However, I will still give you some benefits of the doubts and hope that what you are telling me is true and that your sand filing will now go on, at a faster rate than what we have seen now,” Governor Diri stated.

At the Onuegbum-Otuoke road, the governor charged the contractor to complete the project on schedule.

Meanwhile, the Bayelsa State Government and construction giants, Julius Berger, have assured that there was no cause for concern over a crack on a portion of the Berger flyover in Yenagoa, the state capital.

The flyover was constructed about 10 years ago during Senator Seriake Dickson administration.

This followed concerns raised on the social media that the flyover had become a threat to motorists.

Governor Douye Diri, who went on a first-hand inspection of the flyover on Thursday morning, directed the Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Surv. Moses Teibowei, to immediately fix the crack.

Mr. Teibowei, however, allayed any fears during a visit alongside engineers from the ministry, Julius Berger as well as technical committee members of the state chapter of the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) led by the chairman, Engr. Raymond Awana.

Teibowei said there was no structural defect on the flyover and that the crack posed no threat to motorists.

He said the government would engage the construction firm to fix it in order to clear any doubts.

“The crack does not pose any threat to lives or motorists. The construction company has said so. But government would engage it to rectify this small area that has caused the concern,” he said.

Speaking on behalf of Julius Berger, the Bayelsa Site Manager, Engr.Benjamin Chugbo, explained that the opening was due to “a minor settlement” and that it had been there for more than a year.

He said: “This is only a lateral opening that poses no threat. The bridge was constructed about 10 years ago and this will be the first maintenance on it.”

The state COREN technical committee chairman, Engr. Raymond Awana, also stated that they had inspected the flyover and maintained that there was no defect.

He said the “settlement” did not affect the structure as it was normal for such openings to occur due to the nature of the terrain of the state and the Niger Delta.

“The settlement is not on the flyover itself but before it. You know this is not a rocky terrain. So there must be settlement when you build or construct any structure. This is what has happened here and it can be remedied. This does not pose any threat to motorists,” Awana said.