Accountability group asks Buhari, NASS to probe ministry of agriculture over non-payment of contractors

The Centre for Public Accountability (CPA) has urged President Muhammadu Buhari and the National Assembly to order a probe into the refusal of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture to pay the retention funds owed to contractors between 2018 and 2020.

The group said: “For the avoidance of doubt, the retention in question, is the five per cent deduction from the contract sum deducted and kept by the agency of government, which is expected to be paid back to the contractor after six months of job completion, with job certified is okay after final verifications by the agency of government.”

The group said the allegations are products of its findings, from workers and stakeholders within the ministry.

CPA in a statement issued in Lagos and signed by its Executive Director, Olufemi Lawson, alleged that despite the completion of works by many of the contractors, the ministry has continued to illegally hold on to the five per cent retention funds.

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“We are worried, by the arbitrary manner, in which the leadership of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, have since 2018, refused to pay innocent Nigerians, who executed contracts for the ministry, their withheld retention funds. It is worrying, realising that many of these contractors, executed these jobs, through bank borrowings, thereby putting many of them, under the burden of loan servicing, even when such should have easily been repaid, if the ministry hasn’t been illegally holding on to the payments, due to this contractors. We strongly believe that anyone suspected to be responsible for this violation of due process should face sanctions as appropriate,” the statement read.

The group further said that it considers the actions of the leadership of the Agriculture Ministry as a deliberate attempt to undermine President Buhari’s rigorous anti-corruption efforts and his commitment towards empowering indigenous companies.

The group also expressed its readiness to petition the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in order to unravel the reasons behind the refusal of the ministry to pay retention funds as and when due, and most importantly, the extra-budgetary spendings that the Ministry of Agriculture has become known for.

CPA restated its belief in the commitment of President Buhari towards ensuring that corruption in public service is reduced to the barest minimum.

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Accountability group asks Buhari, NASS to probe ministry of agriculture over non-payment of contractors