Abia’s N20m two-classroom block not Theodore Orji’s project – Aide

The Senator representing Abia Central in the National Assembly, Theodore Orji, has denied claims that the Umutowe Primary School, Olokoro, in Umuahia South Local Government Area, is one of his constituency projects.
He said the project was that of Ikwuano/Umuahia Federal Constituency.

Orji, who spoke through his Senatorial Liaison Officer, Ifeanyi Umere, said the project in question was that of the member representing Ikwuano/Umuahia in the House of Representatives, Sam Onuigbo.

Umere said, “If there is any failure on the project, the House of Representative member is accountable, not the senator who has three House of Representatives members under him and who has successfully and creditably executed his constituency projects within his senatorial district of six Local Government Areas.”

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A media team that toured the projects had reported that the contractor deviated from the project’s specification, worth N20m as indicated by a Non-Governmental Organisation; Women Aid Collective.

The Umutowe-Primary School project, the report said, was awarded to Impex Agro Allied Nigeria Limited for the construction and furnishing of a block of three classrooms at the cost of N20 million – through the Universal Basic Education, under the Federal Ministry of Education’s UBEC constituency projects, adding “rather than a furnished block of three classrooms as specified in the contract, a block of two classrooms was poorly constructed and painted. Moreso, the paint is already fading.

“In one of the classrooms that has seemingly been converted to a church, (at least, judging from the presence of what looked like an altar at the rear of the classroom), toddlers were seen with their caregiver on small plastic seats.

“Apart from the total absence of furniture in this classroom, signs of leaking roofs were all over the ceilings and fascia boards – the paints had also started to peel off. The other classroom had already been converted to a dumpsite for broken furniture and other out-of-use materials”.