Akpatason: PIB Debate was Tainted with Sentiments
The Deputy Majority leader of the House of Representatives, Hon. Peter Akpatason, amongst other issues, explained how the federal lawmakers arrived at the 5% operating expenditure granted to the Host Communities in the PIB. He spoke to Udora Orizu. Excerpts:
The National Leader of Pan-Niger Delta Forum, Chief Edwin Clark has rejected some provisions in the recently passed Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), particularly the 3 and 5 per cent operating expenditure granted to the Host Communities by the Senate and House of Representatives. In your opinion, do you think the 5% is good enough? It’s not good enough but that was the best we could get at that particular time. The reason is that legislation is a game of numbers, to get anything in the legislation you need a number and it requires persuasion and all that. And number, even when you add the Southeast and Southwest, it’s not up to the number of our colleagues in the north, so, the PIB at some point assumed a sectional dimension, the debate was more less tainted with the sentiments of north, south, east, west and all of that which is very terrible thing.
Things shouldn’t happen that way. We should actually be looking at things irrespective of ethnic and sectional consideration. Unfortunately, it happens from time to time, it’s not limited to Nigeria only. So, at that point we had to start negotiating and in the House, we were able to arrive at five per cent, while senate arrived at 3. I’m not pleased with the 5 per cent but that was what we could get at that time.
Southern governors are currently clamouring for Southern Presidency in 2023. Do you see thatpossibility?
Yes, it’s possible but it’s not going to be easy, and the way to go about it is to apply diplomacy, because politics is a game of numbers and we need the number and so we need to be persuasive about it. So, I believe it’s possible but I don’t think it’s going to be easy.
What’s your take on the accusations that the federal government is not pursuing bandits with the same energy it’s using to clampdown on secessionist agitators?
Yes I support that the government should clampdown on every element that is undermining the security of this country but in doing that there must be objectivity. What’s good for Nnamdi Kanu and Sunday Igboho is also good for ISWAP and Boko Haram. Boko Haram and ISWAP have assumed a very monstrous dimension, it did not start yesterday, they have been there for a long time and has spread their tentacles and reach far beyond what’s happening elsewhere.
So, combatting those two terrorists organisation would be more challenging than a fresh agitation. My point is that it has become more difficult, because of the spread and amount of network that they have developed over the years but the government being a responsible government at this point must develop stronger capacity to combat Boko Haram and ISWAP.
You sponsored the construction of a 200 metres link road in your constituency in Igarra, Akoko-Edo Local Government Area of Edo State. There’s a video trending, accusing you of facilitating a substandard project, what do you have to say about this?
Well, in respect to the video. The Project in question is a project that I facilitated in the 2020 budget. It’s a one kilometer road job, the first phase was in the 2020 budget and the completion stage is in 2021 budget. The Job was domiciled in the rural development department of ministry of agriculture and rural development. They awarded the contract to one royal jeff Nigeria limited. The first phase of the contract was awarded sometime in the year. The second phase was also awarded to the same contractor. And
after completion of those stages, it will go to the third stage, I think that’s the stage that’s ongoing currently.
We had opportunity of doing inspection in the first and second phases that happened much earlier. The third phase just commenced a while ago, I have not been on ground to do the inspection at this stage. I was surprised when I saw the video a few days ago, the gentleman never spoke with me about it and nobody ever did. So, when I saw that immediately I tried to reach out to my staff on ground, who went there and eventually produced a preliminary report for me.
When I got to the office being the first day after I saw the video, I wrote a letter to the rural development department of the ministry of agriculture to furnish me with details of the contract and also for them to do on the spot assessment of what’s going on to establish whether actually the job is shoddily done or not, so that if they find any such thing appropriate sanctions can be meted out to whoever is culpable. So, that’s it so far. I’m expecting their feedback today, hopefully. By the time we get their feedback, we will now swing into action properly. But in the meantime, the preliminary reporting got from my team in Akoko Edo clearly contradicts the report that was presented in that video.
The job is ongoing at the time he made this video, the workers were right there working, work was ongoing when he met them, raised the issue of not having iron rods in a certain parts of the job that was ongoing. Sincerely speaking, I don’t have the details about the base of quantity, which indicates what should be where and all of that I only obtained those documents now. I checked the report of my people and what it indicated is that the portion of the drainage showed to the world is actually not part of the work given to the contractor.
However, the contractor was actually involved in doing it as part of the support to the community based on the request of the community people, who have come out to confirm that yes they requested for that. Reason being that the length of work he was given to do, ended at a point where the water will not easily flow into the right channel, the stream that is close to that place. They felt that if the additional work is not done then they will be having a challenge with that drainage and the contractor agreed with them to support the community to do that job.
What I will say clearly is that if I were in a contractor’s position if I choose to give assistance to support the community, I will do the same quality that’s contained in my BOQ. If what he did is different from that, then, I won’t be happy with him. We are going to analyze that. The report I have for my people is a shoulder of the road not the road itself and those materials are waste materials.
Basically, that is it but I appreciate the fact that somebody in the community was able to come out to draw attention to what it considered to be poor work, irrespective of the drama. I’m pleased that somebody is doing something.
To inspect a project everyone must be involved. The agency that awards projects must inspect projects, the community that are benefiting from the project must inspect the project.
The office of the legislator or whoever the person is must inspect project. It’s the reason why I appreciate the fact that the young man could go there and look at what is happening. However, we will do everything possible to make sure that if the contractor is doing anything short of the provisions of the BOQ, he will be made to pay for it. Just now I’m told that he has not been paid a dime for the job. He hasn’t been paid at all, he has done first and second phases, it’s the third one that’s ongoing which means he can’t run away. So, there’s no need for drama. Also, I’m currently doing up to 5 road construction projects in my constituency. I have a mini stadium ongoing, event center like a civic center with 500 capacity, very massive project, people have inspected and they praised the quality of work that’s going on in that place. So, I have never been fingered in any substandard work.
As for ‘Unu ese Bridge’, as the signage suggests, the job is ‘Construction of Unu ese Bridge’ which I facilitated into Budget 2020 in fulfilment of my campaign promise to Ojirami Afe (Afekunu) people. The job is domiciled in Benin Owena Rivers Basin Development Authority, in the Ministry of Water Resources. In the course of inspection, my home team drew my attention to the fact that contractor was only grading the access road leading to the bridge, while no work was going on at main bridge.
I immediately intimated the head of the agency and requested that the contractor be made to focus on the bridge construction work as specified in the Appropriation Act. After consultation with his team, the MD informed me that ‘construction work’ was not in the first phase of their BEME. At this point, since 2021 Budgeting exercise was over, we both agreed that he has to address the people of the community for them to understand the situation and the remedies being sought. He actually went and had a dialogue with the community. You may have to contact the agency for further details.