By Mohamed T Massaquoi in Pujehun
The Director of Development at the Sierra Leone Roads Authority, Daniel Wiseman has told a gathering of district stakeholders in Pujehun that since the inception of the township road project in that district "the government of Sierra Leone has only paid 20% of the budget set aside for the contract awarded to the First Tricon company".
He said the media must not blame the delay in completing the work on the company.
Addressing the district council chairman, councilors and a section of the media, Wiseman said the company had a job far more than the money they had so far received and encouraged them to continue. He pleaded with the people of Pujehun to "be patient with the company for them to do a good work for you".
The SLRA Regional Engineer, South, Wilfred Nunie told the meeting that their visit was to assess how the recent flooding in Pujehun had affected the Bo-Pujehun highway and whether it was as a result of the activities of the road construction company.
Nunie complained that the Makibie Stream - a tributary to the River Wanjei - "has not been flowing well and could cause some difficulty in constructing the Makibie Bridge between Pujehun and Gobaru".
He said the SLRA would ensure the project was completed this year, adding that by the end of the year they would have completed and handed over the work to the government for its commissioning.
The company's Managing Director, Abiodun Oyebola described the meeting as a consultation gathering for guidance in how to construct the Makibie Bridge due to the flooding and the excess water discharged onto the road.
Thomas Pemagbie, a resident of Pujehun told Politico, "I don’t believe what the company is telling us regarding the completion of the project this year because they have told us similar things in several other meetings."
He said people had been blaming the company without knowing that only 20% payment had been made to them. He lamented over the recent increase in transport fare between Bo and Pujehun "as a direct result of the poor condition of the road".
(C) Politico 19/08/14
