The Benue State House of Assembly has instructed the Commissioner for Youths, Sports and Creativity, Terkimbi Ikyange, to terminate the contract for the renovation of Aper Aku Stadium, awarded to Monimichelle Sports Facility Construction, within seven days due to a breach of the contractual agreement.
Our correspondent has learned that the House has also directed the state’s Attorney General to initiate legal proceedings against the contractor, aiming to recover funds that were collected from the state government without the project being executed as stipulated.
The Speaker, Aondona Dajoh, announced this ruling after hearing from both the Commissioner for Youths, Sports and Creativity and the Attorney General. He expressed disappointment that, for the fourth time, the contractor has failed to honour the invitations from the House and its standing committees.
The Speaker further revealed that the Assembly intends to notify the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to prosecute Monimichelle Sports Facility for allegedly defrauding the state.
In a related development, the House has directed that all staff of the Ministry of Works, Housing and Urban Development who are complicit in the fraudulent inflation of contract sums must appear before the Assembly.
Previously, Commissioner Terkimbi Ikyange condemned the contractor’s fraudulent actions, noting that after receiving over N1.3 billion, Monimichelle abandoned the project, which was only 40% complete, offering flimsy excuses for the delay.
He stated, “Contrary to the contract agreement, the two-month duration has long since elapsed, and the contractor, Monimichelle Sports Facility Construction, has been untraceable.”
Additionally, the State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, represented by the Solicitor General and Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Justice, Thomas Ese, asserted that since the contractor has failed to fulfil the contractual obligations and the completion date has passed, the only legal recourse is to terminate the contract and demand a refund of the contract funds.
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