Coalition
Against Corrupt Leaders (CACOL) has called on the Chairman, Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr.Ibrahim Lamorde, to investigate the
alleged road contract fraud against Ogun state government.
CACOL
said this in an open letter signed by its national chairman, Debo Adeniran, to
the EFCC chairman asking him to investigate and expose the in-house engineer
and external consultant that did the tender bid evaluation and recommended the
China Civil Engineering Construction Company for the eventual award of
construction of federal Ejinrin road.
The
alleged road contract fraud against Ogun state government is contained in a
report in the Nigerian Compass publication
of Monday, 08 April, 2013, detailing the allegations of fraud being perpetrated
by the Ogun State government led by Governor Ibikunle Amosun on road
construction in the state.
According
to the newspaper report, the Ogun State government in a memo, entitled: “Re:
Request for Information on Capital Projects”, received at the Office of the
Clerk of the Ogun State House of Assembly, which was signed by the Permanent
Secretary in the Ministry of Works and Infrastructure, Department of Planning,
Research and Statistics, Engineer Ademolake K.A, had given details of its total
contract commitments as N96 billion (N96,016,704,187.58). Of the sum, the
government claimed to have made advance payments of N18 billion
(N18,231,940,850.00) to 14 contractors.
The
government disclosed that it awarded the Sagamu-Benin Express Junction/Oba
Erinwole Junction Road to a contractor, P.W. Nig. Ltd., for N8 billion
(N8,046,000.000.00), out of which N2 billion has been released as Advance
Payment. The government also indicated that the length of the road is seven
kilometres and put the completion period of the contract at 15 months. The
start date of the project was said to be 26th November 2012 and the expected
date of completion is 26th February, 2014, whereas the percentage completion as
at the date of the memo, according to the government, is 20.
This
indicated that the government would spend a sum of N1.1 billion per kilometre
on a township road, whereas the immediate past administration, within the same
topography, spent N46 million per kilometre on the dualisation of the Bobasuwa
junction of the Ejinrin road –Mobalufon, with median and street lights.
Furthermore,
the state government said it awarded the construction of Ejirin/Folagbade/
Ibadan Road in Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State to China Civil Engineering Construction
Company (CCECC), whereas the federal government has awarded the construction of
this same federal road to the same CCECC following the request of the Ijebus to
President Goodluck Jonathan during his campaign tour to Awujale of Ijebuland.
The mind-boggling question is how can the CCECC enter into a contract with the
state government on the road project when it already has a subsisting contract
with the Federal Government on the same road?
Some
of the residents complained that despite the demolition of hundreds of building
complexes, stores and shops along the Ejinrin road, leaving thousands of the
people homeless, work has not commence on the road in the last five months,
while It has also been established that no single equipment has been moved to
the Oba Erinwole Junction Road for which the government claimed it has paid N2
billion to the contractor.
It
is worthy of note that the N18 billion claimed to have been spent on the road
projects was borrowed from banks which means the state government would
continue to service the loan from the state funds plunging the hapless Ogun
State masses into quagmire of socio-economic enslavement.
Coalition
Against Corrupt Leaders (CACOL) in it prayer urged EFCC to investigate the appropriateness
or otherwise, of rehabilitating a-seven kilometre road with over N8 billion, as
it suspect the case of contract inflation. “We urge you to also file
appropriate charges against anyone found to have abused his office in this
matter at the end of investigation,” he added.
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