Ekiti Awards N1.2Billion Contracts To Permanent Secretaries, Gov't Agency MDs, DGs, Others

A scrutiny of the Ekiti State unfastened contracting portal has uncovered imaginable breaches of the state's procurement laws. 

The Ekiti State Bureau of Public Procurement instrumentality mandates unfastened competitory bidding for declaration awards, with circumstantial guidelines for restricted bidding.

However, an introspection of the instrumentality reveals a concerning discrepancy: high-ranking officials, including imperishable secretaries and wide managers are fixed contracts, contempt nary proviso for specified exceptions.

Ekiti State procurement instrumentality requires unfastened competitory bidding. Restricted bidding guidelines are intelligibly outlined portion nary proviso allows contracts for high-ranking officials.

The revelations rise questions astir the state's committedness to transparency and accountability successful its contracting process.

Section 24 of the instrumentality states “that persons who person been progressive successful the process of preparing for a procurement oregon portion of the proceedings thereof whitethorn neither bid for procurement successful question oregon immoderate portion thereof, either arsenic main contractor oregon subcontractor nor whitethorn they cooperate successful immoderate manners with bidders successful the people of preparing their tenders”.

The reappraisal shows that astatine slightest 10 contracts were fixed retired betwixt July and August 2024, successful contravention of this provision.

On August 14, the authorities awarded a declaration for the interior electrification and installation of 1MVA, 33/0.415KVA transformer astatine Ekiti State cargo airdrome with the codification “ocds-6olpk7”.

The declaration worthy N281.7 cardinal was nevertheless awarded to the imperishable secretary. It was awarded connected August 14.

Another declaration for the repair of a damaged transformer astatine Falegan and installations alleviation transformer astatine Olaoluwa/Orisun Egbewa communities on Ilawe Road, Ado-Ekiti, with the codification ocds-6olpk7-EKSEB/BPP/CONO/82024/15010268 was awarded to the General Manager of the Ekiti State Electricity Board to the tune N46.504 million.

The authorities besides awarded a declaration worthy N204.8 cardinal for the upgrading of a damaged 2.5MVA transformer astatine Ikere-Ekiti 33/11KV Injection Substation to 5MVA transformer with the codification ocds-6olpk7-EKSEB/BPP/CONO/82024/23034452), to the General Manager of the Ekiti State Electricity Board (EKSEB).

Other contracts tracked see the hold of autarkic powerfulness works 11KV web to INEC bureau Ado-Ekiti astatine a outgo of N72 million. It was nevertheless awarded to the “permanent secretary”.

Installation of a centralised physics information monitoring and surveillance strategy astatine the outgo of N123.8 cardinal was besides awarded to the imperishable secretary.

The proviso and installation of occurrence rescue and EOC instrumentality for Ekiti State worthy N114 cardinal was besides awarded to the imperishable secretary. 

The authorities awarded a declaration to the imperishable caput for a caller manus dug good and the repair of an existing 1 successful 16 section authorities areas to the tune of N49 million.

The execution of the Ekiti State Tourism Master Plan which outgo N183 cardinal was awarded to the Director General of the Ekiti State Tourism Bureau.

Another sum of N30 cardinal was awarded for the hold of the bureau of the accountant and was awarded to the Executive Secretary, Ekiti Audit Service Commission.

The fencing and outstanding items of works connected the caller authorities room on Ilawe Road was awarded to the imperishable caput to the tune of N45 million.

In total, the 12 contracts tracked outgo N1.189 billion.

Speaking to SaharaReporters connected the development, the Advocacy and Network Engagement Director of the Public and Private Development Centre, Kachi Chukwu, described the concern arsenic an aberration of the law.

“It is simply a wide aberration of the law, though immoderate states person stated that they grant these contracts connected nonstop labour, nevertheless this whitethorn not excuse the action. The states besides blasted the timeframe betwixt awarding contracts and the existent clip the contracts were awarded,” helium said.

He, however, noted that states are meant to respect the unfastened contracting law, particularly if they person signed up to the unfastened contracting standards.

The Executive Director of Paradigm Leadership Support Initiative, Segun Elemo, told SaharaReporters that the actions arsenic unlawful.

“It is not lawful for the authorities to bash that, adjacent though sometimes they privation to bash interior procurement to debar the procurement process but an lawsuit of a N281 cardinal declaration should person been enactment to unfastened bidding. This benignant of improvement suggests a inclination for corruption,” helium noted.

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has revealed that unfastened contracting corruption is liable for a staggering 60% of corruption cases successful Nigeria.

In an interrogation with SaharaReporters, Ekiti State accusation commissioner, Taiwo Olatunbosun, denied that awarding contracts to imperishable secretaries and manager generals was an abberation of the law. 

He argued that specified contracts are awarded done nonstop labour and arsenic specified tin beryllium awarded to offices of imperishable secretaries oregon main accounting officers of the agency.

“When specified contracts are awarded to the imperishable secretaries, since they person signatories to authorities accounts, they tin guarantee capable supervision of the projects,” helium said. 

He explained that the declaration grant is compliant with the authorities procurement law, which enables specified transactions without violating immoderate regulations.

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