Gov Wike gives commissioner 24-hour ultimatum to start road project or get sacked
The Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, has issued threat to sack the state’s Commissioner of Works, Alabo George-Kelly, for delaying the construction of a road in Abua/Odual LGA of the state.
The Governor made this revelation at the flag-off of the construction of the Ekagho-Ogboloma-Adada link road.
The Governor has given the commissioner 24 hours to commence work at the site or risk being sacked from work.
While speaking to gathering of people at the site, the Governor asked what was delaying the work and was told that work would soon begin on the site.
Wike turned to the commissioner of works, saying, “They (the contractor) collected the money (for the roads) here, so why have they not mobilised?”
“Commissioner for works, I give you 24 hours. If they don’t move to the site, return our money immediately.
“You see, part of the problem — that’s why our problem is not only the company. Even those that are supervising the job are part of the problems we have,” he said.
“This company has collected the money more than two months ago and you’re telling us now that they are preparing after (they collected) money from us. Let them not move to the site till tomorrow, I will sack you as the commissioner for works.”
“You don’t take our money and keep it in the bank and do your other businesses and then the people are suffering.
“Before you know it — in March the rains will start and then you tell us: ‘it’s because of rain’. It can’t happen.”
“In fact, the chairman of council, you must be giving me monthly reports of what is going on on these two roads in Abua/Odual. I don’t only want to depend on the reports from the ministry of works,” he said.
“What I will do now is to appoint people who will be my special assistants on these two roads so that we will monitor what the ministry of works is doing.
“As they give me their own report, I monitor what they are doing because I’m no longer comfortable that a company that will collect money for two months and the commissioner is telling me they are preparing. I can’t believe this. When you people go, you collude with them.”
