The former governorship candidate of National Rescue Movement, NRM, in Rivers State, Ambassador Sobomabo Jackrich, has petitioned the National Assembly and the civil society organisations in the country over the N195.3 billion Port Harcourt ring road project just awarded by the state government.

Jackrich said that the amount of money budgeted for the 50.15Km project was rather on a very high side and therefore must be probed accordingly.

The former caretaker committee chairman of Asari-Toru local government area of the state who spoke for the first time since the March 18 governorship election, said it was important for government to initiate policies aimed at improving the socioeconomic wellbeing of its citizens through programs such as construction of roads and other basic infrastructure because they are critical especially with regards to being part of one of the developing economies of the world.

According to the project description, 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 also that the contract for the project construction was signed between the state government and Julius Berger Plc at Government House, Port Harcourt last Wednesday.

Speaking after the contract signing, Governor Siminalaye Fubara 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 (N150Billion) of N195.3 billion has been released, to make Julius Berger give the required urgency to the project.

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

But Jackrich said he was particularly worried how the Governor Fubara led state government had bypassed all laid down procurement processes as enshrined in the laws of the state, to do as it seems good in their eyes.

He however queried how the Rivers State Government arrived at the N195.3Billion contract sum for the project. “Which firm carried out the bill of quantities survey?

“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 among others”.

Quoting relevant portions of the Rivers State Public Procurement Law No.4 of 2008, the former governorship candidate said, it was totally unacceptable to have “this show of executive rascality and complete abusive of office primarily for purpose of personal aggrandizement”.

Jackrich who is the founder of Kengema Unity Forum, KUF and the Network for Defence of Democratic and Good Governance, NNDDGG,, said going by a World Bank report published in March 8,2021, the cost of constructing 1km of road in Naira equivalent the world over is N238m., and the indices or parameters used to arrive at this rate took into consideration all topographic differences.

He therefore called on the National Assembly to launch an inquiry into the award of the contract of the Port Harcourt Ring Road Project, adding that that members of the civil society and well meaning individuals of the state should 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”. (Daily Independent)

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