Posted by From Sufuyan Ojeifo in Abuja on
The senate ad-hoc committee probing food crisis in the country, yesterday implicated former Minister of Industry and Chairman of Africa Business Roundtable, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, former Police Commissioner and Yobe State Administrator, Dabo Lere and former Governor of Borno State, Alhaji Asheik Jarma in the abandonment of over £11.4 million worth of silos contracts in different parts of the country.
The senate ad-hoc committee probing food crisis in the country, yesterday implicated former Minister of Industry and Chairman of Africa Business Roundtable, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, former Police Commissioner and Yobe State Administrator, Dabo Lere and former Governor of Borno State, Alhaji Asheik Jarma in the abandonment of over £11.4 million worth of silos contracts in different parts of the country.
Tukur, also the former governor of the defunct Gongola State, and Lere jointly owned Messrs Agric. Storage and Machinery Ltd which got the contract for silo construction in Dutsinama in Katsina State in 1989. The committee said the job was only 47 per cent completed.
Chairman of the committee, Senator Idris Umar gave details of the contracts and their beneficiaries at a press conference he addressed shortly after a public hearing yesterday.
Umar said all the contractors have been summoned by the committee and are to appear before it next Tuesday.
Details of the companies, their owners/promoters and the silos contracts released by the committee showed that Emerald Packaging Nig. Ltd owned by one Alhaji Lawal Haruba and Alhaji Mohammed Gobir got Ikenne, Ogun State silo complex contract in 1990.
According to the committee, no work had been done on the project site.
The document also indicated that Messrs Cavedish Ventures owned by the late Maiduguri-based billionaire, Alhaji Mai Deribe got the contract for the construction of a silo complex in Abuja which was not executed.
According to the document, Messrs Pressed Metal Works, owned by Alhaji Aminu Tijjani, got the contract to construct a silo in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State but the contractor/company, the document indicated, abandoned the contract after it was financially mobilised.
Messrs FEMA Agric Nig. Limited owned by Chief Femi Akande, got the contract to construct a silo in Ikorodu in Lagos State but the document indicated that it did nothing on the project site.
The sixth contractor was Messrs Agric. Storage and Machinery Ltd, which was jointly owned by four persons including former Borno State Governor, Alhaji Aseik Jarma, Mr. Jay Anderson and G. Anderson.
The document indicated that four of the six contracts were awarded in 1990 while one was awarded in 1989 and another one in 1992.
Umar, as committee chairman, subsequently gave them a five-day ultimatum to explain in person why they abandoned the contracts after they had collected money.
He disclosed that each of the six contracts was awarded for £1.9 million.
According to him, 'We are constrained to request the presence of some contractors who were given contracts for the construction of some silo complexes across the country and who have been paid £1.9 million a very long time ago and who have not performed this work.
'We felt we should invite them to come and explain why they should take money from government to the tune of 1.9 million pounds sterling each; some of them have on-shore components ranging from five million and above and without performing the contract that they have been paid for."