A Nigerian contractor, Emmanuel Otokpa, has petitioned President Bola Tinubu over the delay in the release of the N57 billion contract awarded to him by the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) to execute educational projects in Kebbi and Kaduna States.
One is to be done in the College of Education, Argungu, Kebbi State, furnishing and construction of buildings, which was budgeted for, and a similar project in Kaduna State University.
He alleged that officials of the agency were deliberately delaying the release of the award letter to extort kickbacks and other forms of gratification.
According to him, he had written to President Tinubu, detailing the frustrations he had faced in his efforts to secure the award letter.
The contractor claimed that he had fulfilled all the requirements for the award of the contract, including obtaining the necessary endorsements from the Ministry of Transport.
According to him, the contract process commenced in October 2022 through the AGF office.
The petition to President Tinubu is seen as a last resort by the company, which had exhausted all other avenues in its efforts to secure the award letter.
The delay in the award of the contract has raised concerns about the impact on the project’s timeline, the overall cost and the intended beneficiaries in the two states, Otokpa lamented.
He, however, appealed to President Tinubu to direct relevant authorities including the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which he accused of not doing enough on the matter despite being surely informed by his legal team.
“An award letter was given. As I got wind of that, I started looking for how to get it. They refused to give me the letter. I’m appealing to Mr President to intervene in this matter because we were invited.
*When I traced it to the office of the SGF, to the Registration, to the Permanent Secretary. Up till now, nothing has been done.
“In the petition delivered to Mr President, we copied the Police, DSS and the office of the Secretary to the Federal Government.
“I want Mr President and Nigerians to know that if these diverted contracts and money are recovered, it will be a plus to the development of the country”, he pleaded.
