Posted by From JACOB EDI and BASHIR UMAR, Abuja . on
Again, the name of former president Olusegun Obasanjo featured yesterday in the on-going public hearing on the FCT administration under former minister, Nasir el-Rufai when it was revealed that he had indeed approved the elimination of tender procedure for the rehabilitation of roads in satellite towns.
Again, the name of former president Olusegun Obasanjo featured yesterday in the on-going public hearing on the FCT administration under former minister, Nasir el-Rufai when it was revealed that he had indeed approved the elimination of tender procedure for the rehabilitation of roads in satellite towns.
This is coming even as there were revelations that over N500 million was spent to demolish houses in the FCT under the el-Rufai administration.
Worse still, most of the jobs were later to be given out as contracts to companies that are not registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission [CAC].
Already, the Senate Committee on the FCT currently conducting the public hearing is in possession of a letter from the CAC disowning the said companies thereby making them ghost companies which collected huge sums of money for jobs reportedly not done at all.
The companies, according to the letter, reference number PRD9 vol XV111 783, addressed to the chairman of the Senate committee and signed by E.E Agwara, are Abuja Investment Company Ltd, Comdic Limited, Sky Technical Construction Company, Sky Technical and Engineering Company, Yak International Ltd., Nedeco Works and Projects Ltd., and Kard Associates.
Others are Landnug Nigeria Ltd., Stewn Ventures, as well as Icon Resources. A director in the Department of Development Control of the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), Yahaya gave sordid details of how the FCT spent money to demolish houses, even where there were court injunctions restraining the FCT administration from pulling down houses.
It was learnt that at the time of the demolition there were about 76 court injunctions restraining the el-Rufai bulldozers from demolishing houses. The director, however, denied knowledge of any court injunction stopping the authorities from demolishing houses.
He revealed that N451 million was used to purchase bulldozers for the demolition of the houses scattered within the territory and satellite towns.
'The amount was not essentially used for demolition. Part of the amount was used to purchase bulldozers while N181 million was actually used for demolition exercise," he further disclosed.
Another N22 million, he revealed, was spent to clear debris of demolished houses within the territory.
Earlier, members of the committee had unanimously expressed disgust when the Secretary of Health of the FCT, Alhaji Ali Abubakar Gombe, stuned the committee about the N20 million concession granted by the FCT administration on the Garki General Hospital to a private business man, after the FCT spent a whooping N215 million to rehabilitate and upgrade the hospital. Gombe, who said he became the Health secretary in March added that the concession was for 15 years.
To compound matters, Ali told the committee that no dime has been paid to government coffers more that one year after the concession was granted to NISA Premier, believed to be owned by one Dr. Ibrahim Wada, who currently work at the National Hospital.
He however informed the committee that the current FCT minister Aliyu Modibo has set up a committee to review the concession won by NISA Premiere hospital which was yet to pay the N20million.
Apparently not satisfied with his inability to convince the committee with his evidence, the committee said Gombe should bring more evidence on Friday.
In his own testimony, Secretary of the Strategic Satellite Town settlement, Engineer Abdullahi Buhari Dikko, informed the committee that former Minister el-Rufai got the approval of former President Obasanjo to spend a whooping N774 million on paying casual labourers for the clearance of contract sites in satellite towns within the FCT on weekly and monthly basis.
The snag, according to the revelation was that neither the minister nor the secretary has powers to spend more than N50million and N700,000 respectively, without approval from the Federal Executive Council, [FEC].