It was a bright Wednesday morning in Ifiekporo, a community in Warri South Local Government Area of Delta State.
Josephine Oyibo, a 28-year-old nursing mother, stood in front of her house with a worried look engraved on her face.
“We are suffering terribly here. To get common water is a big problem for us,” Ms Rukewve said. “We have complained to our community leader so many times, but they have done nothing.”Another woman who was too angered to give her name, chipped in: “We are even planning to go to DBS to air our grievance.”
President Muhammadu Buhari has since ordered an audit of the NDDC’s finances and projects from inception.According to a report by the Nigerian Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative on revenues, deductions, disbursements, and application of funds by the NDDC, N59.8 billion was awarded for contracts in Delta State between 2007 and 2011.NDDC’s 2016 appropriation act also shows that N28 billion was approved for projects in 2015 while N25 billion was approved in 2016.
On December 10, 2004, Bienci Resources Nigeria secured the contract from NDDC to reactivate the water supply scheme at Ifiekporo Community. “We kept repairing the borehole until we got tired,” the secretary said, looking sadly at the borehole which was overgrown with weeds. “It finally stopped working last year February.”A stone throw from Ms Oyibo’s residence is a large expanse of polluted river with canoes resting on it.The river, this reporter learnt, doubles as a toilet because the community has none.
When this reporter visited the above address, she met BRISCOE, a motor repairs and servicing company, instead.This reporter made further attempts to reach the contractor by asking for Ernest Egeonu and Robert Ojukwu, the two directors of Bienci Resources Nigeria. But, those asked around the vicinity said they never heard of such names.
The water project in Ugbodede was awarded to Marigray Services Ltd on February 1, 2002, and listed as a completed project, according to details provided by the NDDC.When the reporter told him that the project was awarded 17 years ago, Mr Williams looked visibly shocked.Accompanied by two other residents, Mr Williams took this reporter on a tour of the community.
“The borehole stopped working last year . Our local government council just renovated it. But, the solar is no longer working,” Mr Williams said. “The project was done by my late Dad, Michael Awani and it was commissioned before the Ijaw and Itsekiri war,” she insisted “During the war, the project was vandalised.”“I don’t know anything about documents. The company was owned by my late father and when he passed on, that was the end of the company,” she said.
“This one was solar-powered,” said Mr Agbroko, during a tour around the community. “But, when it became faulty, the council converted it to generator-powered borehole.” Just like in Ugbodede and Oghenerurie communities, the commission’s documentation shows that the project has been completed.“Which project?” Okeh Ogene, Vice President General of Enhwe community queried, when asked the location of the water project commissioned by the NDDC.In 2015, NDDC approved N6.6 million for the construction of the solar-powered borehole in Enhwe community, and N21 million in 2016 to complete the project.), a project funded by the European Union.
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