Nigeria Content Online

Last week Governor Adams Oshiomhole had a busy time firing
engineers and contractors. First it was two engineers who he accused of
collaborating with contractors to deliver substandard roads. . Yahaya Afekhai,
before he unceremoniously lost his job, was an engineer with the Edo State
Ministry of Works, while Austin Edeki, also an engineer was hired as the
consultant to supervise the construction work on the Ihevbe/Ikao/Otuo Road.

The contracting firm, Boroni Proni, an Italian construction
company, admitted to subletting part of the roadwork to some local contractors
who used poor and substandard materials for the culvert and side drains of the
roads.

The site engineer, who refused to disclose his name to this
paper’s reporter, said he succumbed to pressure from the locals and sublet the
contract to them.

It is one vicious cycle of corruption begetting corruption,
shoddy work producing bad roads which contribute to accidents, deaths, delays,
late delivery of produce, an unhealthy business climate and staggering poverty.
When corruption has spread so deep that it blinds the locals to what is in
their own interest then it is easy to conclude that we are near the point of no
return.

It has become the norm to expect shoddy work and substandard
quality from government.

Projects embarked upon by government and its agencies in Nigeria
don’t last, and no one seems to care or listen. Political appointees and office
holders don’t see an opportunity to serve but a license to dole out largesse to
party faithful and other hangers on. This is why contracts to construct roads
are given to carpenters rather than road engineers while those for building
houses are awarded to tailors.

Mr. Oshiomhole described civil servants like Messrs Afekayi and
Edeki as liabilities to government and vowed that anyone found to be defrauding
government wound not be spared.

This kind of corruption and dereliction of duty should not be
dismissed with scolding and a slap on the wrist. What the two engineers have
done is totally reprehensible and should be condemned by all. By allowing the
contractor to construct substandard culverts they have compromised their
positions and endangered the lives of those who would have used those
facilities had the governor not detected the substandard work.

Yahaya Afekhai and Austin Edeki who were fired by the governor
should not be left to go scot-free. Mr. Afekhai, a state employee should be
made to forfeit all his entitlements while Mr. Edeki, a consultant should be
blacklisted from working as an engineer. The construction firm that sublet the
contract also has a case to answer.

As much as we believe that local contractors should have equal
opportunity to vie for government jobs the question of standards should never
be compromised.

This brings us to the issue of quality control and inspection. A
look across the country shows that there are many loopholes that need to be
covered. Recently, the LASU-Iba road, which cost billions of naira to
construct, collapsed barely a year after it was commissioned. Up till today
there is no evidence that the contractor or those who supervised the project
have been prosecuted for this colossal failure.

The same is applicable to several other roads and projects that
have failed shortly after being commissioned. There is need to bring back to
public life integrity and professional discipline that were the hallmarks of
our nation in years past.

In expressing his displeasure Mr. Oshiomhole said: “My anger is
really not with the contractor. But if we have engineers who are being paid to
supervise the job and they do nothing, then they are part of the problem. They
are the reason why government job never lasts. We still appreciate the work
done by the Ogbemudia government because then, we had committed civil servants
who take their job seriously.” It is true that today many roads constructed
during the First Republic are still standing while those done after them have
long disappeared.

We agree with Mr. Oshiomhole that civil servants must wake up to
their responsibilities and not connive with contractors to deliver shoddy jobs
for which they will later blame the politicians.