From Isaac Anumihe, Abuja
Minister of Works, David Umahi, has debunked viral media reports that he authorised the payment of N9.3 billion meant for road construction to a Mircofinance Bank (MFB).
His Special Adviser, Media, Uchenna Orji, in a statement described the report as malicious.
He pointed out that Umahi was the governor of Ebonyi State when the project was awarded.
The statement noted that the release of the funds for 62 projects to the bank was conducted between June and December 2023, when the minister was still in the Senate.
“Let me also use the opportunity to debunk something ongoing in the social media. I don’t know what they call the group, is it Tracka or something? It is said it is monitoring the budget of the federal government. And I saw where they put my picture, a very beautiful picture, for that matter, and said that we paid 9.3 billion to the microfinance bank.
“But they went ahead and tagged about the eight point something billion against some projects in Ekiti State, in Kaduna State, in Kastina State, in Bornu State, and say these payments were done in June. In June, I was in the Senate. So these projects, if they are correct, would have been awarded while I was still a governor, so not a minister.
“Number two, in June I was in the Senate. In July I was in the Senate. Up to the 20th August, I was in the Senate. But there are issues when a contractor has done his or her work, the money becomes his money….”
He can say, pay it to this bank; pay it to this bank. And so they (Tracka) are being very mischievous. If they’re asking whether the job was done, that is the only right they have.
“But they don’t have the right to say where a contractor wants his money paid. And so whether he’s paid in a microfinance bank they have no right to say it was paid into a microfinance bank.
“Their right is to go and verify if the jobs were done. If the jobs were done, then it doesn’t matter where the money was paid to. And so it’s just a distraction. And then some of the contractors are using them to fight back. But I refuse to be distracted. The jobs were never awarded by me. Payments were not made by me.
“And even if they were done by me, if the jobs were done and the certificate generated and then deployed to the platform and it was appropriated and money was released against the project, then they have no right to question where it was paid to”, the minister
clarified during an inspection of roads in South East.
Recall that Tracka, BudgIT’s service delivery promotion platform, alleged that it uncovered a total of N9.3 billion paid by the Federal Ministry of Works to FIMS Microfinance Bank Limited.