The Acting Managing Director of Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Mrs Ibim Semenitari, has said the commission is owing about 8,000 contractors between N300 and N400 billion.
She said the volume of the debt has put pressure on the commission, adding that while the commission would meet its contractual obligations, contractors who show enough commitment in the execution of their projects would be given priority in payments.
Semenitari spoke Friday while conducting a delegation from United States-based Centre for Strategic International Studies (CSIS) round a 233-bed Niger Delta Region Specialist Mother and Child Hospital in Port Harcourt.
When prodded on the exact amount owed contractors, the acting managing director said, “We are still working the figures out. So I so cannot share the exact numbers but first level checks show between N300 to N400 billion.”
She informed the delegation that the Niger Delta Region Specialist Mother and Child Hospital is a joint project between the commission and the Rivers State government.
She disclosed that the project was initially awarded at N791 million but that the cost was reviewed upwards to N1.9 billion because of expansion on the scope of the project.
She encouraged contractors to return to site and try to complete their projects on time.