….Sets September date for completion
By Dare Akogun
Eight months after ICIR report on the alleged inflation of the contract sum of the Ilesha Baruba – Gwanara road by the Kwara State Ministry of Works and Transport with ₦751,551,647.22, the Kwara State Government has admitted that the contract was indeed inflated by the sum.
An allegation of inflation had been made through a memo written by a Kwara based civil society organization Elite Network for Sustainable Development, ENetSuD to the Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, on 10th November, 2020.
The ongoing construction around Gwanara axis Photo Credit: Dare Akogun
However, the Ministry denied ENetSuD’s allegation of inflation through an official press release by the Commissioner, Hon. Rotimi Iliasu, which was also followed by denials on various radio stations.
However, in an official communication to ENetSuD by the Governor’s Focal Person on Social Audit and Senior Special Assistant on Monitoring and Evaluation Oyawoye Onikola Mohammed, dated May 20, 2022 the government explained to ENetSuD the various administrative steps so far taken since the allegation was raised.
The government admitted that the Bill of Engineering Measurement and Evaluation (BEME) provided to ENetSuD was indeed faulty, and has now provided a new BEME that has been re-calculated and found to be correct by ENetSuD.
In the latest letter written to ENetSuD by the Governor’s SSA, the government explains as follows:
“As an administration committed to deepening transparency and accountability, the Governor immediately ordered discreet investigations into the matter with a view of unraveling the truth in the interest of the public.
“These investigations involved two different panels: an intra-ministerial panel in line with the civil service rules and another one chaired by His Excellency, the Deputy Governor Mr. Kayode Alabi.
“The investigations involved an invitation to Sanisi Partnership Ltd, the consulting firm for the Ilesha Baruba – Gwanara road project since 2013, who was asked to give accounts of the contract to determine the veracity of the issues raised by your organization [ENetSuD].
“Guided by the May 26, 2021 expert opinion of the consultant who provided the updated BEME with which they are executing the contract, the two panels have established that the ‘Harmonized BEME’ given to you [ENetSuD] was indeed incorrect and full of errors.
“We concede that the misconception in the public about this issue was clearly borne out of costly errors and lack of due diligence by some officials of the Ministry of Works and Transport.
“It is important to inform you (EnetSuD) that a final memo on the issue dated April 12, 2022 has recommended appropriate measures to be taken concerning the civil engineering staffers involved in the preparation of the faulty BEME.
“Among others, the costly development, as you (EnetSuD) may be aware, has also since led to immediate retooling of the due diligence mechanisms of not just the Ministry of Works and Transport but other Ministries, Departments, and Agencies of Kwara State Government to prevent such flops in the future”, the government explained.
EnetSuD Decry late response from government…
While reacting to the latest development, the ENetSuD Coordinator Dr. Alagbonsi Abdullateef, decried the late response from the Government that came after 18 months of the initial allegation which prompted ICIR report, even though the steps taken so far by the government are satisfactory to the organization and need to be commended.
He added that a lack of timely communication from the Government to its partner in the Social Audit of projects will not help the government in its anti-corruption fight, as corruption can’t be fought in silence.
He therefore, called on the government to carry the organization along and endeavor to keep it informed of any ongoing steps related to allegations it made on government projects and spending to avoid a situation where the group would assume that the government is doing nothing to address various allegations related to the projects.
Dr. Abdul Lateef Alagbonsi
He concluded that confidence-building is key to the success of any partnership in the public interest.
ENetSuD has resolved that the new BEME provided by the KWSG (which supersedes the faulty one earlier provided in error) will be used to do a technical evaluation of the project when it is completed, as the government reported the current status of the project as 71 percent.
“Similarly, as a show of good faith that this organization has nothing against the government, ENetSuD would like to inform the public that the new BEME lays to rest any previous allegations of contract inflation in the BEME for Ilesha Baruba – Gwanara Road in Baruten Local Government Area of Kwara State,” Alagbonsi said.
Road will be completed in September – Works Commissioner
When ICIR visited the site this June work was in advance stage different from the stage at the last visit.
OLD: Kpura section of the road last year Photo Credit: Dare Akogun
NEW: Kpura section of the road now Photo Credit: Dare Akogun
The commissioner for works and transport Engr. Rotimi Ilyasu who spoke with our reporter during an inspection of the site said the current total of work done on the road is presently at 72 percent.
He added that a total of 23 kilometers out of the 33 has been asphalted and efforts are ongoing to ensure that the job is completed in September.
Engr. Rotimi Iliasu Photo Credit: Dare Akogun
According to him “we are looking at September 2022 at completing this road, hopefully the rains will allow for speedy work,” he said.
When asked about the challenges encountered, he says “no challenges whatsoever, except the price of materials that has skyrocketed. A tonne of asphalt when we started last year was 27, 000 naira but the same tonne is 60,000 naira, but we are looking at what we can do,” he said.
The Speaker of the state house of Assembly honourable Yakubu Danladi-Salihu, who is an indigene of Gwanara assured that the government is committed to completing road as promised.
New: Ongoing work at the Nune bridge section of the road Photo Credit: Dare Akogun
He said the road is a strategic road in the state, and the government will deliver its promise made to the people on infrastructural development and delivering dividends of democracy.
“What we met on ground and where we are today is a great different. This government is committed to deliver this road, it a promise to our people and the government is working to ensure the promise is fulfilled.
“The government has just released another tranche of money to ensure the work gets done,” he said.
The Chairman of the Transition Implementation Committee of Baruten local government Honourable AbdulRasheed Ibrahim-Lafia commended the state government for continuing the construction of the road which has been abandoned for more than 30 years.
He expressed the gratitude of the people of Baruten local government to the state government saying that with the pace the work will be completed very soon.
“We are very grateful that work is ongoing on the road and we believe it will be completed very soon.
“The major occupation of our people is farming and these farm produce needs to get to the market to boost the economic of activities of this area but the bad road has been major hindrance.
TIC Chairman Baruten LGA Hon. AbdulRasheed Ibrahim-Lafia Photo Credit: Dare Akogun
“I believe when this road is completed the economic activities of this area will be greatly improved which will in turn boost the economy of the state as whole, “he said.
Vehicle navigating through a bad spot in Gwanara Photo Credit: Dare Akogun
A resident of Gwanara Ibrahim Mohammed who expressed happiness at the rate of work done, said when completed the road will improve the economy of the area.
He however appealed to the state government to expedite action on the construction.
Ibrahim Mohammed Photo Credit: Dare Akogun
“We are appealing to the state government to ensure the road is completed and we pray for Almighty Allah to continue to give them wisdom to continue to pilot the affairs of the state,” he added.
However, another resident of the area Musa Idris Buko, condemned the pace of work on the project, accusing the state government not executing the project started by the immediate past administration to ameliorate the sufferings of the people but to score a cheap political point.
“The pace of work on the road is unimpressive. It seems very slow and not genuinely being executed to ameliorate the sufferings of the people, but to score political points. The non-completion of that road by Gov. AbdulFattah Ahmed’s administration earned the last administration the wrath of the people.
“As a matter of priority, this present administration led by His Excellency, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq ought to focus all energy to ensure it is completed since even last year.
Musa Idris Buko Photo Credit: Dare Akogun
He said the project is poorly funded by the administration in order to fund its reelection campaign.
“Obviously, work is deliberately delayed due to poor funding, in to use that for 2023 reelection campaign, otherwise how does one explain the non-completion of this vital project, while the State Government releases funds for Tipper Garage Flyover project in Ilorin, as well as many others across the State?
“It is better for the government to channel the resources used for white elephant 1-kilometre roads in Baruten for instance; to complete major roads such as the Ilesha-Gwanara 31-33 kilometres roads than the irrational non-economic important 1-kilometre roads, that ordinarily ought to be the work of LGAs that had already been weakened and incapacitated by the current administration.
Collapsed bridge on the Nune river with the newly constructed one beside it Photo Credit: Dare Akogun
“Baruten LGA has enough resources to on her own, execute 1-kilometre roads across board, therefore it is imperative for this administration to focus more on projects the truly impacts on the people and community beyond show-offs,” he said.
