FG awards N700bn contracts in N-Delta over 7 years – Audit C’ttee

Posted by admin Headlines, Niger Delta Tuesday, August 23rd, 2016

By Chris Ochayi ABUJA—The Federal Government, yesterday, said that contracts for projects worth N700 billion have been awarded across the Niger Delta region since the creation of Niger Delta Affairs Ministry seven years ago. Out of this, a total sum of N414 billion had been paid to the various contractors handling projects in the region, while an outstanding balance of N230 billion was required to complete the projects. This was contained in the report of the Technical Audit Committee on Projects of the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs since 2009, which was submitted to the Minister, Pastor Uguru Usani in Abuja. The committee was set up by the Minister under the chairmanship of Engr. Yerima Bulama was charged to audit all the projects of the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs since its inception in 2009. According to the report, about 90 percent of the projects are still uncompleted. It also discovered that there were some projects though on paper, but the sites could not be located.

The committee, which was set up in April 2016 to assess the projects under the mandate of the ministry, offered the committee members opportunities to embark on on-the-spot assessment tour of all the ministry’s projects in the nine states that make up the region. Speaking while presenting the reports, the chairman of the committee, Bulama, said: “The committee reviewed all the documents and discovered that since the ministry was created, N700 billion worth of projects had been awarded out of which about N414 billion had been paid, while there is outstanding balance of N230 billion to complete the projects.” Receiving the report, the Minister commended the members of the Committee, noting that beyond the committee exercise, a lot has been going on. He said, “It is obvious that in the era of this new agenda of governance, not many people will be happy with us. We can understand and we tolerate it. But it is for the greater good of the society and tomorrow.”

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