While the Imo State Governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha ordered the arrested some of contractors who he accused of fleeing with money belonging to the state government after payment for state contracts, contractors in his Ideato South LGA have sent several save-our-soul appeal messages for payment.
Acting under the aegis of Ideato South LGA contractors Forum, the contractors have not only written several appeal letters to the governor but also made several appeals to well meaning traditional rulers and prominent persons from the locality for intervention.
According to them, they were among the contractors awarded jobs in 2011 for various projects totaling the sum of N226, 163, 976, 00. While N68,869,230.000 has been advanced.
So far after most of them have completed their projects and the LGA workers making use of the facilities, the state government is yet to pay balance of the money running into N157, 294,746 despite several appeals and letters to concerned authorities.
The leadership of the contractors said that moments after Okorocha took over they were among the well meaning contractors drafted in for projects for the development of the state especially the home LGA of the governor, Ideato South. The jobs were construction of different suites, guest houses at the staff Housing Estate of the council, reconstruction and remodeling of some council offices, water tanks and staff canteen.
In the spirit of the Rescue Mission, the contractors who secured the job during the time of Nwokeji as Transition Committee Chairman without mobilization claimed that they took bank loan and sold several property to raise fund for the execution of the projects expecting that government will keep its promise of payment.
The contractors noted that it is regrettable that the Okorocha government is starving them through non payment two years after the projects have been completed and handed over to the authorities who quickly put the facilities in good use. A visit to the staff Housing Estate will reveal that NYSC, Civil Defence and some council personnel are using the completed quarters as residential area.
While lamenting the adverse effects of secured interest accruable the bank loans they secured for the projects, the contractors raised alarm that they are suffering from abject poverty arising from loss of their collateral to banks which has put their respective families in disarray.
The contractors who are from Ideato South LGA and claim to have contributed to the successful campaign of the Agenda group and Rescue Mission in 2011 for the emergence of Okorocha further regretted that instead of paying them for jobs executed, some unknown forces are trying to break their ranks with divide and rule tactics.
It is for these reasons that they sent a letter to Okorocha who is their kinsman requesting for settlement of contract bills owed them for the periods of 2011 and 2012 when the projects were completed.
