Posted by By JAMES OJO, Abuja on
Contrary to reports that the contractors carrying on the renovation works at the official residences of Speaker Olubunmi Etteh and her Deputy, Babangida Ngoroje, were recommended by the Speaker, the management of the National Assembly management rose in defence of the embattled Speaker yesterday, saying that the contractors did not come from her and are among the few contractors to the National Assembly who are duly registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission [CAC].
• NASS endorsed contractors
• Contract provided for in 2007 budget
Contrary to reports that the contractors carrying on the renovation works at the official residences of Speaker Olubunmi Etteh and her Deputy, Babangida Ngoroje, were recommended by the Speaker, the management of the National Assembly management rose in defence of the embattled Speaker yesterday, saying that the contractors did not come from her and are among the few contractors to the National Assembly who are duly registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission [CAC].
Director of Legal Services, Barrister Mohamed Sani Omolori told the panel probing the award of contracts for the renovation although some of the contractors doing business with the Legislative arm of government were not registered with the CAC, against the laws of the federation, the four contractors doing the job were registered with the CAC.
Testifying under oath, Omolori explained that it was after the contracts had been awarded that his department went to the CAC to check if they were registered to do business with government. According to him, the exigencies of time prevented him to first ascertained if the companies were registered or not, adding that it was the usual practice of doing things in the National Assembly to give out jobs before verifying if the companies are licensed or not.
He told the panel, headed by Hon David Idoko that conditions for the award of the contracts were met by the management, with the presence of all the management staff, while he said he could not say much on the part of the leadership team from the House for such an event.
'We did what we could as a management in the circumstances. We did the right thing reasonably well. What happened on that day when the contract was signed was not different from what obtains as far as award of contracts in the National Assembly was concerned," he confessed.
Mr Omolori insisted that in the process of awarding the contracts, due process was followed, adding that the management only reacted to dynamisms of the system of bringing issues to conform with the standard rules.
In his testimony, the Director Finance and Supply, Mr.Olaide Adelami, told the panel that money was voted for the renovation of National Assembly buildings and purchase of utility vehicles for the leadership of the House in the 2007 Appropriation Act.
For instance, he pointed out that the sum of N151,620 milion was earmarked for utility cars, from where money to purchase the cars for the use of the Speaker and other principal officers was to be taken from, while the renovation of the residences of the Speaker and the Deputy was to be financed from the N500milion voted for the renovation of National Assembly complex.
He said that the two buildings in question belonged to the National Assembly by virtue of the monetization policy, adding that before the houses were taken, the FCDA had carried out the inventories.