By Our Reporter A civil society group in Nasarawa state, Nasarawa Rights Protection
and Promotion (NRPP) has kicked against construction of new
presidential lodge in Lafia.
In a statement in Lafia,the Secretary of the group, Alh. Ayuba Mabo
said the proposed construction of another presidential lodge as
announced by Governor Al-makura last week, was not what the people of
Nasarawa state need at this time.
According to the group, Al-makura led government which has barely five
months to quit office ought to focus its attention on completions of
all the on-going projects scattered across the state rather than
embarking on new ones, adding that award of new contracts by the
government at this time calls for serious concern by all well meaning
individuals in the state.
The group regretted that Al-makura’s government since its inception
had never come clean with regards to the state’s finances, noting that
the people of Nasarawa state had never known the true position of
revenue generated internally, actual cost of all the contracts awarded
by the government and how such contracts were awarded.
It lamented that cost of all contracts so far awarded by the
government since Al-makura assumed office has remained a secret known
only to the governor.
“Nobody in Nasarawa state, as at today, can point at a single contract
which the present government awarded and quote with all certainty the
exact cost of the contract” the statement added.
It further noted ‘Even the most celebrated achievements which the
present government recorded in areas of road constructions no one can
say how much a kilometer of such road cost the tax payers of Nasarawa
state’
Continuing the statement averred that virtually all the contracts so
far awarded by the present government did not pass a minimum standard
of transparency, adding that all the contracts awarded were in
flagrant violations of due process as per the Public Procurement Act.
According to the group, Public Procurement Act provides that all
contracts and supplies must follow due process, competitive bidding,
but NRPP in its statement lamented that the reverse is the case in
Nasarawa state.
“We want to challenge anyone nursing the belief that Al-makura
administration is following due process in award of contracts in the
state to point at one single contract which it award that was
published in a national daily as required by procurement act “
The statement recalled that only contracts requiring counterpart
funding are the ones that go through due process in the state.
While calling on the people of Nasarawa to stand up and demand for
their rights, the group is demanding that government publish the cost
of all the contracts awarded in the state since the inception of this
administration in 2011.
Efforts by the Nasarawa Eye to get official reaction of government from both State Ministry of Works and Government House proved futile.