A team of engineers with some other professionals recently constituted by the Council by Registered Engineers of Nigeria (COREN), Imo State and the Nigeria Society of Engineers (NSE) have begun integrity tests of the many public facilities established by the immediate past Rochas Okorocha government.
The public facilities include the two flyovers located at Orji on Okigwe Road, Amakohia along Owerri-Orlu Road, and the tunnels along Port Harcourt Road Owerri in order to ascertain the quality, durability and effectiveness or otherwise, for public use.
The team made up of structural engineers professional and consultants with is Engineer Kingsley Onwubiko as chairman with Engineer Ebere Ononiwu as Secretary, has resolved to investigate these structures scattered all over the state that have never been in use by the public as a result of fears of their durability.
It would be recalled that during a recent visit to the flyover at Orji, Governor Emeka Ihedioha, after the inspection and spotting out of some visible faults, directed the closure of the facility to public use and challenged both COREN and NSE to conduct proper integrity tests on these projects.
Speaking to newsmen at one of the endangered site, the chairman of the team of Engineers in several capacities explained that his team has come to conduct a detailed assignment of these structures as directed by the state governor and that the report of their assignment will be made public at the end of the exercise.
He explained that this is not the involvement of the engineering institution with the government but rather a responsibility given to them by the governor Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha.
He further explained that it is also part of the core values of Nigeria society of engineers to ensure that they maintain standard in basic infrastructures in the state as they had done in the past by relating with every government (except Rescue) to ensure that projects are done according to standards, thereby advising developers to do the needful especially on those area the government is not doing well.
He contended that what government does is to provide better lending and giving ear to the advice to the society of engineers.
It would also be recalled that both the regulatory body and the institution were not effectively utilized by the all knowing ex-Governor Rochas Okorocha administration. The two professional bodies had raised alarm over the improper and unprofessional construction of some of these structures, that even began failing or collapsing before they were completed.
Our correspondent recalls that they were several innumerable numbers of such public structures including buildings, roads, bridges and drainages that became dilapidated before they were put into use.
It should be noted that the largely publicized 35 numbers of twin one storey school building in some communities built over six years ago are yet to be occupied or commissioned as well as some of the acclaimed 27 hospitals while some of the public schools blocks established by that administration could not stand the test of time while all roads and drainages constructed during Okorochas urban renewal programme have collapsed and caved in thus causing havoc and nuisance to the public.
