Ugo Willy, Gombe
The Gombe State chapter of the All Progressive Congress (APC) has defended the Gombe State Government’s award of N30.1 billion naira for the construction of an underpass and road networks in the State capital.
The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the State had lashed out the decision of the Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya led State Government to construct an underpass and some road networks within the State capital at a whooping sum of N30.1 billion.
The APC, in a statement signed by it’s Publicity Secretary, Moses Kyari Bolda, and made available to our Correspondent, described the allegation as “an attempt by the PDP to stand truth on it’s head and cause dissafection among the citizens of the State”, adding that it is an attitude that “is consistent with a party riddled with internal division and gasping for breath”.
The APC explained that, the contract at the centre of the allegation is the construction of an underpass, 18.1km of roads around the underpass and surrounding areas complete with drainage on both sides and the dualization of the road from the Federal Teaching Hospital junction to the Federal College of Education roundabout at the cost of N30.1 billion, which it said the PDP “perceived as a bogus contract award”.
According to Moses Kyari, the allegation by PDP that the contract award of the said project was only aimed to serve the interest of a few, “is laughable and infantile, coming from a party that is known to have been profligate when they were in Government”.
The APC spokesman said, “the allusion by the opposition PDP only goes to show how bereft they are of what Government is about. The claim that the project is coming at a time where there is poverty and health sector crisis is towing the same old story that is neither here no there.
“The need for an underpass and surrounding roads became necessary, for a futuristic Governor who has envisaged a problem before it occurs.
“The three arms zone legacy project once completed, traffic would become heavy around that area, coupled with the gradient and slope of the road coming into town, makes it imperative to have an underpass, to solve these twin problems”, he stressed.
Moses Kyari also pointed out that readers might wonder at what point from 1999 when the PDP held sway that poverty was not pervasive? “Was it not during these times that white elephant projects were undertaken by the PDP Government of Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo like, International Conference Centre, Mega and Trailer Park?” Wondering how these projects changed the lives of the citizens of Gombe State.
Mr Kyari then queried if it was indigenous contractors that built the International Conference Centre, Mega and Trailer Parks in the State.
He said the situation that caused the PDP to loose power is now what the opposition party is yet to comprehend and accept. “The PDP has been delusional about how opposition is to be played”, Kyari alleged.
The APC therefore advised the PDP saying, “he who comes to equity should come with clean hands. We are using this medium to to ask our citizens to continue giving the usual co-operation to the APC Government of Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya as he continues to deliver more democratic dividends”.
