Contractors, Mayors’ apathy angers public investment follow-up Chairperson

The Chairperson of the Follow-Up Committee in charge of Public investment budget contracts in Fako Division has expressed deep worries at what she calls the nonchalant and uncommitted attitude exhibited by contractors and some mayors across the division, in the execution of contracts awarded them by the State in 2014.

“The contractors as well as most of the mayors are not here for this meeting. I want to register my concern about those who do not take these meetings seriously,” Hon Gladys Etombi said.

Hon Etombi is the Chairperson of the Divisional Follow-up Committee in charge of monitoring the progress of all public projects across Fako Division.

Etombi, who is also one of the two MPs representing the Fako East Constituency (Limbe, Tiko, Muyuka) in the National Assembly, sounded troubled during the third follow-up meeting that was held in Limbe on October 09.

The meeting attended by Divisional Delegates, Principals of schools and mayors whose services or councils have one or more Government projects to execute for 2014.

Etombi was not happy with the conspicuous absence of the mayors of Buea, Tiko and Muyuka councils. There were no representatives, neither were there any contractors for the 116 projects going on in Fako.

“It is really embarrassing that none of these persons are here for this meeting,” Etombi observed.

She warned that her committee may start lodging complaints against the mayors and contractors, who, she said, were exhibiting a nonchalant attitude towards moves aimed at ensuring that contracts awarded by the Government for the benefit of the population are well executed.

“It is not enough for a project to be declared as having been executed 100 percent. It is of essence that this said project be done well and properly,” she said.

The Divisional Delegate for Secondary Education, Helen Ikundi Njomo, in addition, stated that the lack of seriousness by the contractors to the follow-up meeting was a clear reflection of the kind of poor quality work many of the contractors tend to deliver today.

“It is as though most of the contractors, today, are just concerned about the money they make from the contracts. And, because of this, most of our classrooms, just a year after their construction, already have cracks in the walls and broken floors,” Ikundi said. “The contractors need to start showing some moral commitment to what they are doing,” she added.

Hon Etombi maintained that the follow-up committee meetings were forums where all the problems that are emanating from the field following the execution of these contracts or projects have to be addressed and solutions sought.

But when the stakeholders, such as the mayors and contractors keep away from the meeting, it shows that the same problems will continue to persist and at the end, the population would not get what Government intended for them.

She was unhappy with the 23.35 percent physical and 2.03 financially execution rates respectively.

The above reading entails that payments for the contracts already executed or are still on-going was still very low or pretty slow.

Etombi called for all concerned to step up their efforts in the execution of the contracts as well as in the area of payments so as to meet up with time before the year folds up within the next three months.