A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja was told yesterday how former Minister of Works, Dr. Lawal Hassan, masterminded payment of about N6 billion to Digital Toll Nigeria Limited on the multi-billion naira Buto-Bagana bridge project without following the extant contract rules.
Prosecution star witness and Deputy Director in the Federal Ministry of Works, Mr. Dominic Abisigh, who gave the details of the deal, said Lawal presided over a meeting where a “compromised position” was taken to pay the contractor and site consultant for works executed on the Buto-Bagana bridge project.
Abisigh said though the financial expenses made by the Federal Government stood at N5.4 billion, the project was about 9.5 per cent completed.
The contract sum already expended was said to have been contributed by the Federal Government, Nasarawa and Kogi states.
The Bagana – Guto bridge is a public private partnership project to provide a connection between Guto in Nasarawa state and Bagana in Kogi State.
During his evidence, Abisigh said the concession was awarded by the Federal Government to Digital Toll Nigeria Limited (3rd accused) at a cost of N24.36 billion for a concession period of 25 years.
Parties in the concession contract, according to the witness, included Digital Toll Nigeria Limited on the private side, Nasarawa, Kogi states and the Federal Government on the public side.
Abisigh disclosed that though the private partner was expected to make equity contribution of 60 per cent of the contract sum while the Federal Government, Nassarawa and Kogi states were to contribute 20 per cent; 10 per cent and 10 per cent, respectively.
He said: “So far, my Lord, as at the time I left the PPP unit of the Ministry of Works, the equity contribution of the public partners was nil; Federal Government paid over 80 per cent of its own equity, each of the state governments also paid over 40 per cent.
“The concessionaire (Digital Toll), to my knowledge, did not contribute anything. They made zero contribution
