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OBIARUKU/Nigeria: Good sense seems to have finally prevailed as the Chairman of Ukwuani Local Government, Mr. Chukwudi Dafe, has after a meeting with Umutu Community delegates agreed to leave the completion of the Community’s market to the Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission, DESOPADEC.
He announced that the project was originally earmarked to cost the sum of N60m, but was not completed even after the sum of N59m had been paid to the contractor.
“We have handed over Umutu Utra-modern Market project to DESOPADEC for completion with a charge to meet the architectural and aesthetic specifications conceived by the council a decade ago”, he said.
Explaining why he directive that the market project be put on hold, he said that, there were gross errors in the report about the market as filed by Hon (Barr.) Benedicta Ndudi Izuegbu-Osakunih, the immediate past council chairman that needed to be put straight.  
He further noted that, the manner in which DESOPADEC took over and started work on the market was not according to due process, pointing out also that the Umutu Utra-modern Market was almost 60 – 80 percent done. He argued that there is nothing to be reconstructed in the market, but we look up instead to its completion.
While praying for a perfect work to be executed, he lauded the initiator of the idea for the completion of the market. He said that he meant well for the Umutu people as well as every community in Ukwuani local government hence he is insisting that the work should be done right.
Responding, Hon (Chief) Christopher Nwajiogoli thanked the chairman for his respect for due process and also assured him that the community will ensure that the market is completed according to specifications.
It was, however, gathered that the job which was left unattended to by successive governments, was taken over by DESOPADEC after due process was followed, but the council chairman took legal action against the commission for working on what he termed a local government job.
It was hinted that the sum of N59 million had been committed into the market construction, with a lot of job yet to be carried out.
Further investigation also revealed that the change of tone by the council chairman may not be unconnected with complaint made to the governor of the state, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, who was visibly angry with the action of the council chairman, accusing him of trying to sabotage the SMART Agenda of his government.
It could be recalled that DESOPADEC recently completed the Umutu Skill Acquisition Centre, which was initially that of State Ministry of Youths and Sports, but was handed over to the Commission, which is an interventionist Agency. That project was recently commissioned by the state governor.
 
Apart from these two projects, the Commission is currently handling some other projects in the council area, which are not direct jobs of the Commission. These includes the reconstruction of the Ekpemili Primary School, Ebedei, the deflooding of the Obiaruku main market.