Last week, we were inundated with news of the award of several road contracts across the country by the Federal Executive Council, running into hundreds of billions. To some, it’s good news, and others, bad news, particularly those of us from Kogi State.
The non-inclusion of the Okene – Ajaokuta – Itobe Road didn’t go down well. I must say the responses were justifiable because that road is beyond terrible. It is the devil’s highway.
But how many times do we want the contract for the rehabilitation/reconstruction of that road awarded?
At the Federal Executive Council(FEC) meeting of 03/12/2014, contract for the rehabilitation of the Okene – Itobe(Lot B5) road in Kogi State was awarded to Messrs. SCOA Nigeria Limited, to the tune of N7,497,172,077.78, to be completed within 18 months period.
Well, it’s almost 60 months now.
In the 2017 Appropriation bill for the Federal Ministry of Works, it is cited as FMOWP46037853 with C/No 6030, and an allocation of N900,000,000.00.
In 2018, with the same C/No 6030, N193,626,257.00 was allocated.
Although I can’t say how much was eventually released from the coffers of government, but in notes to its consolidated financial statement for the year ended 31 December 2017, SCOA records that it received N425, 238,000.00 in 2016, and N548,865,000.00 in 2017 as advance from the Federal Government of Nigeria in respect of Rehabilitation of Okene – Itobe road in Kogi state.
Fellow Kogites, over the last 12 months we have demonstrated an uncommon commitment to good governance and development of our dear state through social media activism and organized protest marches to the headquarters of political parties.
Well, duty calls again. It is time to extend our activism to the Ministry of Works and Housing. Don’t we need explanations from Minister Fashola?
– Henry Anibe Agbonika
Post Development Synergies Limited, Abuja.
