House Probes N64bn Abuja Airport Runway Contract
From Onwuka Nzeshi in Abuja THISDAY | Feb.23.2010

The House of Representatives will today commence debate on allegations of contract inflation in respect of the N64 billion (about USD$421m) second runway project at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

Also the House may pass the 2010 Appropriation Bill today given the early adjournment of plenary yesterday and the flurry of activities that followed at the level of committees. Speaker of the House had while announcing the adjournment explained that the chamber was suspending sitting for the day to enable Committees of the House put finishing touches to their assigned roles in the budgeting process to enable the House consider the passage of the budget today.

The Executive Council of the Federation had in December last year approved the construction of the runway because, according to it, the present runway built 27 years ago had outlived its design life span of 20 years. The contract was awarded to the German construction giant, Julius Berger covers the design and construction of the runway was expected to be executed within 24 months.

However questions were raised yesterday on the project when a lawmaker, Honourable Dino Melaye (PDP Kogi) brought a point of order seeking the leave of the House to table a motion of urgent public importance. Melaye said he had conducted some preliminary investigations and discovered that the contract cost was over bloated, adding that the N64 billion was enough to build two new airports given the recent experience of some states of the federation which embarked on such projects.

“It is for this reason, Mr Speaker that I decided to raise this matter of urgent public importance before the House so that the issue can be further investigated and necessary actions taken to ensure that such a huge amount was not spent on a runway project when it could have cost the nation less,” Melaye said. Bankole put the question on the motion and it was resolved that the House will today consider the investigations on the allegation on a full scale.

Also yesterday the House considered a motion on the recent tragic incident in which twenty four (24) persons were electrocuted at Oginigba, Trans-Amadi Road in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. Honourable Ike Chinwo (PDP Rivers) who brought the motion recalled that the victims of the electrocution were travelling in a bus during a heavy rainstorm when a 33KVA High Tension electric cable of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) snapped and fell on the vehicle.

Chinwo who represents the Obio/Akpor Federal Constituency of Rivers State disclosed that the said high tension power cable was installed about forty years ago and has remained without proper maintenance or replacement. He blamed the incident on the alleged negligence of the PHCN which, according to him, ought to have switched off the current on the said power line during the rainstorm. He lamented that innocent persons have lost their lives while several others currently lying ill at various hospitals will be permanently disabled as a result of the tragic incident.

Chinwo expressed appreciation to the Rivers State Government over its intervention in coming to the rescue of victims and its subsequent directive to remove all structures under high tension cables in the vicinity of the incident. He prayed the House to commiserate with the families of the victims as well as the government and people of Rivers State.

The motion attracted a lot of contributions from amongst the lawmakers culminating in about four resolutions namely: to urge the Power holding Company of Nigeria to produce a clean technical report on the incident; urge the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to send relief materials to assuage the suffering of the victims and their families. Urge the PHCN to remove all structures on its Right of Way (ROW) to avoid a repeat of such an incident while a plan should be worked out on the replacement of overhead high tension lines with under-ground cables across the country.

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