By SINL Reporter
The House of Representatives committee on public procurement and the Projects Development Institute (PRODA), Enugu have locked horns over allegation of contracts scam and payments.
Indeed, the governing board of the Projects Development Institute (PRODA), Enugu has called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) to immediately investigate members of the House of Representatives committee on public procurement for alleged contract scam and receiving of payments on unexecuted phony contracts.
Chairman of the board, Comrade Daniel Onjeh who made the call in Abuja on Thursday accused the lawmakers of conniving with the suspended director general of the agency, Engr. Charles Agulanna to perpetrate the crime.
“They colluded with the agency’s suspended DG on several occasions and received full payments for contracts without proof to justify government spending of such huge sums.
“Sadly, they have been doing this for several years! Unfortunately for them, they hit the rock this time around, with the current governing board in place.
“We have discovered that most PRODA contractors are mere fronts for NASS members, used as conduit pipes for siphoning monies meant for zonal and constituency projects.
“That is simply why they are trying to blackmail PRODA’s current management and its governing board into paying for phony contracts unlawfully, illegally, and invalidly awarded by an unauthorised staff, who is a stooge of the agency’s suspended DG; a staff who was never in fact, and in the eyes of the law, appointed acting DG/CEO by the Commander-in-Chief, President Muhammadu Buhari.
“The contracts awarded by Mr. Nathan Abia-Bassey, were awarded in breach of the Public Procurement Act 2007, which stipulates that only the DG shall sign and award contracts”
According to Onjeh, “Abia-Bassey just sat down and singlehandedly and unlawfully awarded contracts to NASS contractors, without a meeting/approval of the PRODA management tender’s board. That is what the honourable members of the House of Reps are fighting tooth and nail to defend”, he alleged.
The board chairman also alleged that “The House speaker, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamilia, who claimed the contractors of House of Reps members have completed their projects, as such should be paid, was also reported to have commissioned PRODA Wifi project in selected tertiary institutions in Lagos, without the bills of quantities, scope of work and other relevant procurement documents, when in actual sense, these contracts were invalidly issued.
“Most of the projects the National Assembly members claim their contractors have completed are in several instances without site locations, bills of quantities, scope of work, drawings etc.
“I, therefore, wish to make it clear that the acting DG of PRODA is innocent of all the gamut of falsehood concocted against him by the House committee on public procurement, and is undaunted by the House of Reps’ order for his immediate suspension and prosecution.
“The current PRODA board and management is determined to do what is right in the agency, to act for the first time, purely in public interest and in line with the anti-corruption stance of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration.
“The mindless fleecing of our collective wealth by a few, with the active collusion of some National Assembly members, must stop forthwith”, he stated.
Recall that the House had on Wednesday passed and endorsed a report of its committee on public procurement on PRODA’s investigation calling on the presidency to immediately suspend the DG of PRODA and investigate him and members of the board of agency for alleged illegal award of contracts and payment to contractors.
