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From Olanrewaju Lawal, Birnin Kebbi
The Kebbi State Government has disclosed that the present administration followed due process on the re-awarded of the eleven years uncompleted State Secretariat which gulped N10 billion to the indigenous contactor in the state.
New Commissioner of Information and Cultures,Alhaji Yakubu Ahmed Birnin Kebbi made the clarification while speaking with newsmen over the insinuation surrounding the projects and other visions of State Governor, Dr Nasir Idris for the state.
While going down on memorial line,Birnin Kebbi said, “the Governor fulfilled one of his promises to civil servants in the state on the provision of conducive office accommodation where he promptly approved the completion of the abandoned state secretariat complex. The administration has long re-awarded the contract to M .TECH Universal Concept Limited and ZBCC Limited all of them indigenous Kebbi based companies.
“The project is divided into “Lot A and Lot B” at the cost of over N10 billion with 18 months completion period. I wish to respond to some insinuations in some quarters’ on the cost of the re-awarded contract for the completion of the Ultra Modern State Secretariat Complex along Sani Abacha by pass. These misgiving tend to question the veracity of the costing with a section of these skeptics demanding for explanation.
“For the avoidance of doubt the Kebbi State government has followed due process and has been diligently transparent in coming to the conclusion reached. The contract as we all know was awarded to Rockwell in June, 2012 at the cost of 3,862,580,683.59 and was later revised to 7,759,297,051.41 with the contractor receiving the sum of 3,541,922,142.76, and an outstanding balance of 4, 224,374,908.65.
“The contractor, due to market forces requested for upward review of the contract during the previous administration. At the inception of the present administration, the contractor was requested to submit a bill of quantity for the completion of the contract.
“The company presented a bill of 21 billion as the total sum needed for the completion of the secretariat. This was flatly rejected by the state government.
“Subsequently, the state Ministry of Works and Transport reviewed the company’s submission and came up with a bill of 10, 587,836, 899.07 for the completion of the contract to two indigenous companies M Tech Nigeria limited and ZBCC limited, whose submissions were reasonable and acceptable to the state government”, he said.
The Commissioner, explained that the present administration would continue to consolidate of the achievements recorded by the previous administration on agriculture, infrastructure development, education as well as welfare of the people of the state.
While speaking on the security, Birnin Kebbi said the state Governor had put concerted efforts on ground to secure lives and properties of the people especially in the Kebbi South Senatorial districts.
According to him,”worried by the frequent bandit attacks especially in Kebbi South government is making concerted effort to ensure the protection of lives and properties in the state, the governor has met with the various security operatives in the state to fashion out ways to end insecurity.
“Governor Nasir Idris had paid sympathy visit to communities and victims of bandits attack across the state and assured them of government commitment and readiness to put an end to insecurity. Various support and relief materials were also provided to the victims to cushion the trauma they have gone through as a result”.
