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Wike on Abuja multi-billion contract bazaar mess: I didn’t report anybody to EFCC
Despite his complete revulsion at the messy award of contracts in the The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) by his successor, Nyesom Wike, the new Minister, on Saturday denied inviting the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate his immediate predecessor, Muhammad Musa Bello.
A palpably furious Minister had on Friday during a visit to the sites of some projects, expressed disgust over obvious irregularities in the award of contracts and other such matters, which he said were unacceptable, but failed to state the steps he would take to redeem the situation, only for media reports to claim later that he had written to the two anti-graft bodies to wade into the matter.
But pooh-poohing the report, Anthony Ogunleye, a director in the FCT, dismissed the the reports as entirely baseless and without any merit whatsoever., adding that although the Minister, during his routine inspections of various projects within the FCT, expressed concerns and frustrations regarding irregularities observed in the procurement and execution of certain projects, he did not contemplate or authorise any action against anyone.
Stating that the reports making the round are designed to mischievously sow discord and confusion, he, urged the public and well-meaning Nigerians to exercise caution when they encounter such unfounded reports.
Some of the projects the minister had faulted when he led officials of the ministry to inspect them, included the contract for the Ushafa-Bwari road, which had gone through various variations, describing it as very embarrassing, saying his administration would not accept
Accompanied by the FCT, Minister of State, Mariya Mahmoud and other top management staff of the FCT, to the Ushafa-Bwari road and Lower Usuma Dam to inspect projects awarded by the FCDA and FCTA, on Friday, he described what he saw as unfortunate, adding that it was very embarrassing to see that the road which was awarded in 2017 was yet to be completed despite the amount of money paid to the contractor.
“This is not what we are going to take. The job was awarded in 2017 at the cost of N20 billion, in 2020 the revised the contract sum to N50 billion. As I speak to you, we have paid almost N50 billion what is outstanding from what the man in charge has said is N900 million.
“Now the N900 million will not be enough to complete the job that they have done about 90 per cent and thereby we move to another variation. This is what we are not going to accept. Even the engineering service, we are going to overhaul the entire system.
‘I have never seen a thing like this before in my life. What you see in FCDA contract varies from N10 billion to N120 billion, from N50 billion to N200 billion. It is alarming and I am not going to accept it,” he said.
While speaking of the Lower Usuma Dam, the minister said he was informed the contract was awarded in August 2022 as an emergency contract, questioning why an emergency contract was yet to be executed more than a year later.
“I was told that the Usuma Water System contract has been awarded as an emergency contract. We just heard now that it has not been awarded fully, that it was just a mere letter of intent to the contractor since last August.
“We know the importance of this project because it supplies water to our people in the city and these environments. Water is very important, so I have directed that it is not an emergency again if something has happened since last year, you called it an emergency till now, and it is no longer an emergency.
“If at all it was an emergency, we are going to start all over, and we are going to supervise the procurement process, and we will allow other companies to bid as far as this project is concerned,” he said.
The minister further said that the administration has chosen about 10 contracts, if not more, and has called the companies and has agreed with them on the contracts.
Peter Obi, candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), has given assignment to Nigerians to put all those aspiring to take up political positions in the country through the grill to ascertain their level of integrity, saying it was required as a sine qua non for the job they seek.
Obi, who has been a subject of discussion in the polity since the allegation of corruption was levied against him by Kenneth Okonkwo, spokesman of his campaign in 2023, over the conduct of the party’s primaries to choose candidates for the 2027 general elections, said the grilling must start with his own person.
A guest in an interview on a podcast with Rufai Oseni, a popular television anchor, the former Governor of Anambra State, stated that it was actually for this reason that he had now sworn to see the litigation he instituted against Okonkwo through.
His take is that the Nollywood actor should use the courtrooms to give all the details of bad behaviour, following his threat to expose him fully, after alleging that he was collecting money from aspirants in the said election for electoral favours.
Hear him: “The issue of taking Kenneth Okonkwo to court wouldn’t have arisen if he had stopped at those allegations. But he claimed he still has more he would expose about me in the future. So, I am very happy to take him to court so that he can expose me publicly, alongside other Nigerians. If any of them has any criminal allegations against me, they should bring them to court.
“Not just Kenneth, everybody should now say those things they know that is bad about me or I did that is wrong because it’s good for the system, it’s good for the society,” Obi said.
“So, if you know that when we were in primary school, this man was cheating or didn’t go to the primary school, didn’t go to secondary school, didn’t do, if you know this man has done something criminal somewhere, this is time to bring it up.”
For the umpteenth time, Atiku Abubakar, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has warned about the dangerous implication of using state institutions, particularly the judiciary to destroy Nigeria’s democracy, saying it is an ill-wind that blows nobody any good.
Atiku, presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), speaking on the heels of Tuesday’s verdict of the Court of Appeal, halting the de-registration order by the Federal High Court, insisted that judicial officers must not lend themselves to any act capable of undermining the nation’s democratic process.
The appellate court had ordered a stay of execution on the order made on Monday by Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court Abuja, for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister the ADC alongside four other political parties).
A totally scandalised Court of Appeal, sitting in Abuja, had taken umbrage, sparing no hard words in upbraiding the lower court judge, stating that his likes were unfit to sit on the bench.
In a unanimous ruling by a three-man panel, the court held that Lifu’s action was “the highest form of judicial impertinence”, stressing that the Supreme Court previously held that a judge who acted in such a manner.
Describing his conduct as the height of judicial rascality, the upper court, stated: “Courts are enjoined to protect their integrity. This Court has supervisory authority over the trial court.
“The decision of the lower court to proceed with the judgment despite the express order of this court is a brazen violation of the hierarchy of the court and the 1999 Constitution.
This court has the duty to invoke its powers in ensuring that its orders are obeyed. The application for a stay of execution is here yet granted. The enforcement of the judgment is stayed.”
Atiku, who hailed the position of the higher court, which restored his hope to be on the ballot as presidential candidate in the 2027 election, also noted the role of INEC as “significant.”
He said: “I welcome the Court of Appeal’s decision to stay the execution of the Federal High Court judgement seeking the deregistration of our great party, the ADC, and four other political parties. It is particularly significant that INEC itself initiated the application for the stay.
“The development reflects growing public concern over judicial contradictions and politically charged rulings within the judiciary. “Any attempt to undermine Nigeria’s hard-won democracy through judicial manipulation is a grave danger to the Republic. If our democracy suffers further injury, history will demand accountability from those entrusted with dispensing justice.
Outside ADC, Lifu’s order, also included: Action Democratic Congress (ADC), Action Peoples Party (APP), Action Alliance (AA), Accord Party (AP) and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), similarly slammed for allegedly failing to meet the constitutional requirements for continued registration and participation in elections.
“He is running in contempt of the court. Justice Lifu should be arrested because he is acting in contempt of the court which is a criminal act,” were the exact words with which the African Democratic Congress (ADC), demonstrated its angst over the court ruling on Monday, ordering its de-registration as a political party in Nigeria.
A furious Bolaji Abdullahi, spokesman of the party, told his host while appearing as a guest on Monday’s edition of Politics Today, a public affairs programme on Channels Television that the judge of the Abuja Federal High Court who gave the order was actually playing with fire because of the consequences.
Directly accusing him of playing the script of the All Progressives Congress (APC), to ensure that President Bola Tinubu emerged the sole candidate for the 2027 presidential election, the party spokesman, was emphatic that the plan would not work, as head or tail, ADC must be on the ballot in all the elections.
Hear him: “There is a Court of Appeal order saying don’t hear this case until October 27. So, on what basis? You can’t place something on nothing. The Court of Appeal said don’t act on this until I hear it on October 27. So, on what basis did he deliver the judgement
“So, for us in the African Democratic Congress, what we’re convinced and they know is what they have done has no leg to stand on legally. What they want to do is to create doubts in the minds of the people that this ADC has too many legal cases, can we actually run on this? And to distract us. But we’re not distracted.
“We’re very clear. It was in spite of all they have done since ADC came on board that we ran one of the best and one of the most comprehensive direct primaries in the history of democracy in Nigeria. So, we are strong enough to withstand this. And that’s why I’m saying that we are going to contest in 2027. We’re ADC. We don’t buckle before dictatorship.”
Stressing on the implication of the judgement, which also affected Accord Party (AP), Action Peoples Party (APP), Action Alliance (AA), and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) for allegedly failing to meet constitutional and electoral performance requirements, following a suit by the National Forum of Former Legislators, he said it portended grave danger.
He added: “We are not surprised. We know that the Nigerian people believe that there is a problem with the judiciary, but what we did not expect is the level of judicial rascality that was demonstrated today.
“What we are saying is that we reject it in its totality, and we are saying that the people behind this are playing with fire. Hundreds, if not thousands, have obtained nomination forms and contested elections and emerged as candidates on the platform of the ADC.”
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