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The House of Representatives on Monday threatened to issue bench warrant against Nigeria’s Minister of Sports, Solomon Dalung over his refusal to honour its invitation on the allegation bothering on N30 million bribery scam on the award of N182.942 million construction contract.
Uzoma Nkem-Abonta, Chairman, House Committee on Public Petitions who issued the threat notice, frowned at the Minister’s disregard to the seven invitations communicated to him through the Clerk of the Committee.
Nkem-Abonta (PDP-Abia) also summoned Ministry’s Permanent Secretary and Director of Procurement to appear alongside the minister to explain their roles in the alleged bribery scam involving a contractor.
However, members of the Committee who intervened urged the Chairman of the Committee to give the Minister another up to 30th May, 2017 to appear and defend the allegation.
The petitioner, Kingdom Human Rights Foundation, in a petition dated 1st January, 2017 titled: ‘Public petition against Minister of Sports, Permanent Secretary, Director of Procurement for corruption, bribery and criminal Breach of contract, pursuant to the Section 88(1) had alleged that:
“Our client Solbec Ltd was awarded a contract, via a contract award letter dated 27 November 2013 by the then Ministry of Youth Development (Now Federal Ministry of Sports) for the construction of a youth development centre at Ojongbodu, Oyo state.
“The total contract sum is N182,942,047.05 and the contract was duly awarded after a thorough award procurement scrutiny and selection process in line with the Procurement Act and contract agreement.
“Several attempts were made to get the 15 percent mobilisation fee but request was turned down and the contractor was advised to take a loan facility and Skye Bank obliged him N20 million.
“On September 18, 2014 when the project got to DPC level, a job valuation of N30,159,527 was raised for payment after it was measured, investigated and verified.
“Regrettably, few days after on-site evaluation, the Minister of Youth, the Permanent Secretary and Director of Procurement in the Ministry acting through some senior staff in the department of procurement corruptly demanded an advanced payment of the 20 percent of the total valuated sum of N30,159,527 (kickback) to enable them approve job already executed,” the petitioner explained.
The petitioner further claimed that due to the Company’s inability to pay the kickback, the ministry connived with Bureau for Public Procurement to issue a complaint purporting same to be from unidentified lowest responsive bidder while Solbec was the lowest responsive bidder.
“As a result of their corrupt interest in the contract, the ministry later informed us that the valuated N30,159,527 due for payment to our client would be paid to the purported new contractor (Grandeur Engineering Services Ltd).
“Consequently, in October, 2015, the ministry paid N30,159,527 total valuated sum due to our client to Grandeur Engineering Services Ltd through GT Bank account No. 0022398117.
“It was after persistent demand that Grandeur Engineering Services Ltd in November 2015, via a UBA cheque dated 23/11/2015 paid the sum of N3 million out of the total of N30,159,527 leaving a deficit of N27,159,527 and all efforts made to recover this from the Ministry and Grandeur Engineering Ltd proved abortive,” the petition read.
While ruling, Nkem-Abonta adjourned the investigative hearing to 30th May, 2017 for further legislative action.
KEHINDE AKINTOLA, Abuja
