Abuja road contract inflated by N38 billion

Posted by admin Headlines, State News Wednesday, February 1st, 2012

Shaibu
ABUJA—Senate Committee on Federal Capital Territory, FCT, has discovered that contracts for the construction of Abuja-Airport and Kubwa-Zuba roads were inflated to the tune of N38 billion.

The revelation came during the budget defence of FCT, when the Minister, Senator Bala Mohammed, told the committee that the two road projects had been reversed by President Goodluck Jonathan, following the discovery of the inflation.

Senator Mohammed said the President uncovered some underhand activities in the award of the contracts, thereby setting up a committee to review the two contracts.

He said: “The President is concerned about cost of projects execution in the country. Immediately he read of the discoveries of some discrepancies in the award of the Airport/Kubwa road project by the Senate Committee on FCT, he (the President) ordered a review of the project.”

He further stated that a committee of experts examined the projects design and measurement and came to the conclusion that the projects had been inflated by over N38 billion.

He stated that though the experts were still working, the Federal Government would release a white paper on the final outcome.

Mohammed said: “We want to show that we are ready to partner with the National Assembly. Mr. President has been talking about the cost of projects and immediately he read about the Senate committee’s oversight tour of the some project sites, he ordered a probe into the projects. Right now the committee has saved the government N38 billion.”

Chairman of the committee, Senator Smart Adeyemi commended the reversal of the contracts, saying such action would save Nigerians from unscrupulous contractors.

He also declared that the committee would soon summon all major contractors operating in the FCT to answer charges on the usage of on-site materials.

He said: “We want you to partner with us because we are being cheated as a nation in the deployment of our natural resources. We will soon summon all contractors in Abuja to show receipts of payments for laterite and gravel which they take on site, because already they have included these things in the Bill of Quantity.”

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