Pay Flood Infrastructure Contractors, CSO Tells Works Ministry

A civil society organisation (CSO), Accountability Forum, has faulted alleged moves by the Federal Ministry of Works to award about N60 billion contracts from the N185 billion budgeted for flood control infrastructures in the recently amended 2022 supplementary budget instead of paying contractors.

The National Assembly (NASS) had recently amended the 2022 supplementary budget with the sum of N185 billion earmarked for payment to contractors handling work on flood control infrastructures.

However, the CSO alleged that rather than pay the contractors, most of whom have completed their work, officials of the ministry of works have reportedly concluded plans to award new contracts which covers items that have no direct bearing with flood control for which the money was budgeted.

In a statement signed by Magnus Anthony, the forum noted that what looks like a tender’s board meeting was held last week Wednesday by the permanent secretary and the director procurement, in a bid to legitimise the multi-billion-naira contract.

According to the CSO, letters are being issued to some selected contractors when there was no advertisement, no prequalification or bidding done in line with the requirement of the law.

“It is more annoying to say the least, when one recalls that the contract was clearly for items that have no direct bearing on flood control. For instance, why should money earmarked for flood control be used to award contracts for solar street lights or supply of Keke NAPEP?” he said.

The forum enjoined the permanent secretary to urgently pay contractors by prioritizing those that have completed their work instead of awarding new contracts and insisted that the decision to use part of the money to award new contracts when contractors are being owed, was self-serving.

It alleged that the fresh contracts are awarded directly to some members of the National Assembly or their proxies and insisted that most of the projects captured in the 2022 amended supplementary budget are being handled by lawmakers.

“After cutting down the budget to N185bn, the lawmakers ensured that the bulk of the sum is allocated to projects handled directly by them or their proxies.

“Projects being handled by the lawmakers or their proxies include N5 billion allocated under FERMA for completion of Yanfada-Kunchi-Bagwai road;  construction of Yarmawa-Jakata-Farinruwa-Tsanyawa-Tofa road worth N6.2 billion reportedly; N16.6bn Katsina-Ala/Takum road; rehabilitation of Kanya Babbura-Buban Mutum road in Jigawa which is to gulp N14bn.”

While calling for outright cancellation of the new contracts, Anthony said the CSO would not hesitate to mobilise for mass protest even as he threatened to drag key officials of the ministry to court should they not halt the planned contract.

“We will mobilise other organisations to protest against this brazen misuse of our common wealth,” he said, adding that the CSOs were in support of the moves by some indigenous contractors to embark on a protest against some officials of the works ministry.

He also enjoined relevant government agencies to investigate officials of the ministry of works, especially the permanent secretary.

“We call now, as we did earlier, on President Bola Tinubu to redress it immediately and reconsider his decision on the N500bn palliatives. The money should be returned and used for the flood control infrastructures which it was initially budgeted for.”

This move to award new contracts is coming on the heels of threat by some indigenous contractors to embark on mass protest upon the expiration of a seven-day ultimatum issued to the permanent secretary in the works ministry.

The contractors alleged that the ministry failed to treat their files and hence, stalled payments due to them.