Probe N195.3Bn Port Harcourt Ring Road Contract, Rivers Guber Candidate Demands 

By Kelechi PAUL 

Gubernatorial candidate of the National Rescue Movement (NRM) in the March 18, 2023 governorship elections in Rivers State, High Chief Ambassador Sobomabo Jackrich, has called for a probe into the the N195.3 billion Port Harcourt Ring Road contract recently awarded to Julius Berger by the Governor Siminalayi Fubara-led administration.

In a release made available to our correspondent, Sobomabo Jackrich drew attention to issues of transparency, accountability and disregard to “laid down procurement processes” with regards to the award of the ring road contract.

Jackrich said that though cases are pending at the elections Petitions Tribunal sitting in Abuja, “As a true democrat, I believe that electioneering periods are over with the emergence of various leaders across board, and thus, now is the time for governance.”

He however pointed out that “it is important for a government to initiate policies aimed at improving the socioeconomic wellbeing of its citizens. Programs such as construction of roads and other basic infrastructure are critical especially with regards to being part of one of the developing economies of the world.

“While Governor Siminilayi Fubara tries so hard to live up to his vision of consolidating on the achievements of his benefactor and former governor, Nyesom Wike, however, consolidating on wrong policies and flagrant abuse of laid down rules of engagement of governance as enshrined in the laws of our state should not form the nucleus of his administration.

Jackrich said that according to the project description of the Port Harcourt Ring Road Project flagged off on Monday July 17, 2023, “the 50.15 kilometers dual carriage road will traverse six local government areas including Port Harcourt, Obio/Akpor, Ikwerre, Etche, Oyibo and Eleme. The Port Harcourt Ring Road Project starts at the UTC junction and will have six flyovers and one river crossing bridge.

“It would be recalled that the contract for the project construction was signed between the state government and Julius Berger Plc at Government House, Port Harcourt last Wednesday.

“The governor speaking after the contract signing, explained that the best time to start a project that has a completion period of 36 months is now, which is precisely why 75 percent of the contract sum (N150 billion) of N195.3 billion has been released, to make Julius Berger give the required urgency to the project.

“Now, this was sequel to his signing the supplementary budget of N200 billion recently passed into law by the Rivers State House of Assembly.

“In all of these, I am particularly worried how the Governor Fubara led state government has bypassed all laid down procurement processes as enshrined in the laws of our state, to do as it seem good in their eyes,” he said.

The NRM guber candidate said his comments were “born out of the desire to ensure transparency and accountability in governance, as our collective resources are only held in trust, and not part of a personal estate of any government official.

“To this end, it is important for the Sim Fubara led administration to provide answers to these pertinent questions: 1. How did the Rivers State Government arrive at the N195.3 billion contract sum for the project? 2. Which firm carried out the bill of quantities survey? 3. Which medium was a capital project like the Port Harcourt Ring Road bid advertised that brought about the contract being awarded to Julius Berger PLC?”

Making reference to the Rivers State Public Procurement Law No.4 of 2008, Part V - Procurement Methods (Services and Works), section 21, subsection one to four, Jackrich pointed out that the ring road contract might not have met the provisions of the state law on Open Competitive Bidding, as well as those for National Competitive Bidding.

Also citing a publication by The Network for the Actualisation of Social Growth and Viable Development (NEFGAD), titled ‘N195bn for 50km — Rivers Should Be in Guiness Book of World Records for Most Expensive, Outrageous and Questionable Road Contract,’ Jackrich drew attention to the group’s allegation that the state government is spending beyond what is normal on road construction.

The erstwhile guber candidate noted that NEFGAD’s executive secretary, Akingunola Omoniyi, confirmed that the state’s 50.15 km Port Harcourt Ring Road project worth N195.3 billion is the most expensive contract in the history of public procurement in Nigeria and globally, adding that the above “means that the 50.15km road contract awarded at the cost of N195.3b stands at approximately N4 billion per kilometer.

“Going by a World Bank report published in 8th March 2021, it says the cost of constructing 1km of road in our Naira equivalent the world over is N238m., and the indeces or parameters used to arrive at this rate took into consideration all topographic differences.

“Thus, according to NEFGAD, this figure is the benchmark that should not be surpassed regardless of several factors except with vested interest that usually characterizes public contracts in Nigeria.

“The award of this N195.3 billion ring road project has rather subjected the state to public ridicule as such that the NEFGAD lampooned the state in its publication that, ‘The only thing left out of the contract is for the Rivers state government to apply to the Guinness World Record (GWR) for verification and certification as the world’s most expensive contract’.

“This is sad, a complete abuse of office, an institutionalization of corruption and breach of public trust, and therefore, must not go unchallenged.

“State officials are mischievously hiding under the so called perpetual injunction barring any investigation of the financial dealings of the state government by antigraft agencies.

But the good part is that, such order does not take away the right of citizens of the state to demand how their collective resources are being expended by those who hold them in trust,” he said.

Jackrich therefore urged the National Assembly to launch an inquiry into the award of the contract of the Port Harcourt Ring Road Project, while calling on civil society actors and well meaning individuals “to unite to challenge and vacate the so called perpetual injunction barring any investigation of the state financial dealings, in order to save the state from complete plundering of its resources.”