Jonathan in soup as Minister queries N286bn spent on East-West Road project

The Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Pastor Usani Uguru on Monday raised posers on the amount so far paid by the Federal Government on the East West Road dualisation project, insisting that the N286 billion so far spent by the government ought to have completed the project.
The 388 km road which has been under dualisation for over a decade was scheduled to be completed by the end of 2014.
Uguru, who made the disclosure on Monday during a meeting with the Association of Community Leaders of Nine Oil Producing States, however assured the region that the project would not be abandoned.
Uguru said the government would soon explain reasons for the slow pace of work on the road.
He said: “East West road is not abandoned except that work on the project is very slow. We will soon find out why the work is slow. Contractors will tell you it was because of lack of funds. But we will soon tell you our own reasons why the work is slow. “But now let us be where we are. But one thing I can say is by the budget of the road, more than N560 billion was estimated and for now over N286 billion has been paid, which in my view should have completed the road. I have been to Oron. In my view, it should have completed the road up to Oron because in some places the terrain is bad enough and some other places, it is not as bad.
“So, if they have spent that amount of money and the road is still not complet-ed….we are waiting to look for more money so that the contractors will continue with the work,” he said.
The minister who expressed dismay at the resurgence of youth disturbances in the region, said criminality in the oil-rich region must end.
Earlier, the National Chairman of the Association of Community Leaders of the Nine Oil Producing States, Mr Ishmael Frank Oputu, said, the association has been contributing towards peaceful co-existent in the Niger Delta region.