Alex Otti queries SETRACO over work done on Faulks road

The governorship candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in the 2015 and 2019 general elections in Abia State, Dr. Alex Chioma Otti has queried one of the construction giants in the country; SETRACO handling the construction of popular Faulks road in Aba, Abia State over the quality of construction work on the road reportedly executed by the company.

Faluks road is a major road linking other parts of Aba to the popular Ariaria International Market from both Aba-Owerri road and Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressways respectively.

In a release by the Media Aide to Otti, Mr. Ferdinand Ekeoma, Otti who said in the letter that he was writing to SETRACO on behalf of concerned Abians also wanted to know why the amount said to have used to construct a road of about 4.6km should cost N6.8b

Recall that the governor of the state, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu had at the end of the legal tussle between and Otti at the Supreme Court called on him to join hands with his government to see how they can move the state forward.

The release by Ferdinand read;

Open Letter To SERACO Nigeria Limited.

The Managing Director,
Setraco Nigeria Limited
Shehu Yar’Adua Way
Abuja

Dear Sir,

Request For The Clarification Of The Role Of SETRACO In The Controversial Faulks Road Contract In Aba, Abia State.

We write on behalf of millions of concerned Abians to seek your reaction/clarifications to a raging issue that bothers on the strategic Faulks Road in Aba, which the Abia state government claimed to have awarded to you.

With available record, we understand that the contract was allegedly awarded to you in June, 2016, which was when the flag-off was also done.

The government also claimed that the 4.6 Kilometre road was awarded to you at a cost of N6.8 Billion Naira.

Shortly after the said flag-off, two things aroused our suspicion about the genuineness of the contract.
One was the outrageous cost of the contract which was and remains unprecedentedly high, and higher than any other contract as far as road construction is concerned in Nigeria.

We went as far as using roads executed in Rivers State, which weren’t just solid, but far cheaper than the cost of Faulks Road to prove that the cost of the road contract was outrageous. We intentionally didn’t want to use our progressive neighbouring state of Ebonyi where many solid roads have been executed at far cheaper rates in the last few years, because Abia state government has been dismissing the Ebonyi example with ridiculous excuses, which include that Ebonyi has a topography that makes road construction very cheap.
The second reason for our suspicion was the introduction of the name ” SETRACO-HEARTLAND” as the construction company handling the job.
Even on the Signboard strategically positioned at Brass Road Junction where the road commenced, what was boldly written was “SETRACO-HEARTLAND”

Abians reacted very angrily concerning the outrageous cost of the road construction as well as the confusion surrounding the real contractors. As usual, we felt a sense of duty, and demanded for clarifications from the government which has not been made up till now.

We decided to pause and watch, and by late 2018, the government and her propagandists celebrated the completion of the road project and opened it to motorists. Very sadly, as we write now, the road has completely collapsed and major parts of it gets heavily flooded whenever it rains.

The most pathetic is that, lives and property of people living around the area are being seriously threatened by flood.

Just a few weeks ago, the Abia State Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu, appeared on a live radio program, and when faced with embarrassing questions about the collapse of Faulks Road, he specifically accused SETRACO of not doing a good job by not laying pipes at certain areas that would have helped channel flood off the road. He went further to say that he had directed the Contractor to return to site and promised that SETRACO would be working on the road during the Christmas period.

Curiously, since the so called completion of the project, the government no longer refers to “SETRACO-HEARTLAND”, but only SETRACO as the contractors.

Also contrary to the firm directive of the governor and assurances, some work just started at the site two days ago following public outcry and criticisms against the government, which gives serious credence to the popular suspicion that something is very wrong somewhere.

We are writing this open letter, for two reasons. One, SETRACO is to a great extent considered a reputable construction company, and thus should ordinarily not be seen to be involved in this kind of destructive sabotage against the suffering masses of Abia state.
Two, the humongous amount alleged to have been spent on the road belongs to Abia people, in a state where some workers are presently being owed more than one year salary arrears, and pensioners owed about two years pension arrears.

There’s serious anger in Abia state over perceived massive looting by the government through some phantom projects, and SETRACO had earlier been mentioned as one of the construction companies being used to defraud the state. For example, in a petition read by a member of Abia state House of Assembly, SETRACO and three other construction companies were listed as companies allegedly being used to defraud the state.

We sincerely would not want to hold this negative narrative against SETRACO without first hearing from the company, hence our demand for the following explanations:

1. Was the reconstruction of Faulks Road Aba actually awarded to SETRACO Nigeria Limited?

2. Was the 4.6 Kilometre road awarded at the cost of N6.8 Billion Naira as claimed by Abia State government?

3. Was the job solely undertaken by SETRACO or jointly with any other company?

4. If the first question is in the affirmative, why was the contract so outrageously high, and why did the road collapse so soon after?

5. What assurance of durability is SETRACO giving to Abians on the roads undertaken by it, especially after the Okezie Ikpeazu led government would have exited power given the sad experience with Faulks Road?

Please, kindly note that your cooperation would be very much appreciated, as failure would leave us with no choice but to proceed with our plans of inviting the nation’s anti corruption agancies to come in and thoroughly investigate this particular case and other massive financial crimes being committed against Abians, with a view to bringing all culprits to justice.

As we look forward to your response, kindly accept our esteemed assurances.

Ferdinand Ekeoma

Media Assistant To Dr. Alex Otti, OFR.

CC: Hon. Commissioner For Works, Abia State