The Cross River State representative on the Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Orok Otu Duke, has expressed concern over the inability of individual contractors in the state to meet the financial requirements for executing the commission’s projects.
Duke said the financial demands and stringent procedures attached to NDDC contracts appeared to be beyond the capacity of most local contractors.
He made the remarks in Calabar when he unveiled five new books covering history, politics, the Nigerian Civil War and other subjects.
According to him, only one or two individuals in Delta State had recently been able to secure and independently execute such contracts, despite the commission’s presence across nine states in the Niger Delta region.
He attributed the situation to the high contract sums and demanding qualification procedures, which he said posed significant barriers to individual contractors in Cross River State.
Duke, however, urged prospective contractors in the state to build their financial and technical capacity to compete for NDDC projects.
“I urge potential contractors in Cross River State to take up the challenge,” he said.
No Cross River contractor has financial capacity for NDDC jobs — Duke