Politicians decry paying contractors for unfnished projects

Concerns have been raised in Fako Division as to how some contractors got paid by the State when they had not completed the projects they were assigned for the 2014 fiscal year.

Some of these concerns were raised recently during the First Quarter Divisional Follow-Up Committee Meeting headed by Hon Gladys Etombi Ikome, CPDM MP for Fako East Constituency and the Divisional Delegate of the Ministry of Planning, Economy and Regional Development for Fako, NadegeNsangou, as the Secretary.

The Divisional Delegate, who did a presentation about the state of projects in Fako, stated the case of two bore hole projects at Sanje and Enyenge in the West Coast Subdivision, where the contracting firm, Nakums, which is based in Buea, drilled the first hole according to the required specification and there was water flowing.

“But with the second, instead of sinking it to 40 meters deep, we found that Nakums only dug it to some 22 meters and left it. At the moment, there is no water flowing from this bore hole,” she said. “And I think she has been paid already for it,” Nadege Ndam added.

She told The Post that the payment of the said contractor was effected by the former Delegate for Water and Energy for Fako. The project, she said, cost FCFA 8 million.

Besides, the Chief of MuyengeVillage in the Muyuka Subdivision, HRH Chief Denise MetombeLikowo, was surprised during Tuesday’s meeting to learn from the Divisional Delegate’s report that a certain borehole project in his village, which, at present, is still to be completed, has, in the records of the Delegation, already been completed and the contractor paid.

The Divisional Delegate responded by stating that her report was based on information gathered from the Mayor of the Muyuka Council in a recent meeting to the effect that the Council had already paid the said contractor of this project to the tune of FCFA 15 million.

Chief Metombe said the Muyenge project has not been completed and, as at then, the Muyenge population of over 20,000 still depends on a stream as the source for drinking water.

“If the contractor has been paid, then, I do not know for what job,” he said.

After listening to these discomfiting practices by some contractors with the aid of some project vote holders, the Chairperson of the Divisional Follow Up Committee, Hon Etombi, warned that the said contractors should beware of the fact that the Government can still engage measures to recover the money.

“It is really unfair to the Government when someone goes and claims money when he or she has not done the work,” Hon Etombi said.

Given the Muyenge situation, the Divisional Delegate of MINEPAT, Nsangou, promised to get back to Muyuka and then to Muyenge to see for herself the reality on the ground.

Hon Etombi went on to urge the Buea Council to do well to ensure good collaboration with the other project stakeholders. She remarked that too many projects cancelled in Fako have been coming from the Buea Municipality, owing to the lack of cooperation by the Council.

But the Secretary General of the Council, NjieEwume, who was present during the meeting, acknowledged that they were having some difficulties of their own, which have gone on to cause delays and, maybe, cancellations. But he denied the fact that the cancellations were due to the lack of collaboration from them.

The Divisional Delegation for Secondary Education, Helen Ikundi, raised the problem of the poor quality of the execution of some of the Public Investment Budget projects by some contractors. She cited the case of a mechanical workshop constructed at Government Technical High School, Limbe, which she said has already developed cracks on the walls. She said there was the fear that if nothing is done to mend the cracks, the wall might give way someday and there could be student casualties.

Hon Etombi said the trouble with poor quality PIB projects was simply because the State assigned engineers who go to the field to evaluate the quality of such projects do not do a proper job.

But the Divisional Delegate of Public Works for Fako, who is the State engineer for Fako, said the problem was that when they go to the field and give instructions, the contractors tend to do just the opposite as soon as they leave.

Hon Etombi insisted that the problem of quality still falls squarely on them, because, as she said;“when you, as an engineer, come back to check and the work has not been done to meet required specifications, you reserve the right not to approve such a project.”

The meeting also examined the cases of some projects which have been abandoned by some contractors to the detriment of the beneficiaries in the Division.

The MP said there was need for concerted action and collaboration by all the stakeholders so that projects can be awarded on time, executed in time before the year ends. She observed that because of unexplained delays, Fako has always been behind the other Divisions in the execution of PIBs.

“When projects are awarded and they end up not being executed or even abandoned, it is as though we do not need the projects,” she said.