Ekiti govt warns contractors against abandoning SDGs projects

The Ekiti State government has warned contractors handling Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) projects across the state against abandoning sites after collecting mobilisation fees.

The government maintained that any contractor involved in this act after collecting funds would be made to return such funds and be prosecuted.

Secretary of SDG’s in the state, Mr Olukayode Adunmo, gave the warning at the weekend, after a two-day inspection tour of projects so far executed and completed under the 2018 intervention programme, in four selected local government areas of Ijero, Moba, Oye and Ekiti south-west in the state.

No fewer than 60 projects, domiciled mostly in schools and hospitals, included the supply of equipment, outright construction, reconstruction and rehabilitation of dilapidated classrooms and Ward structures, toilets, boreholes, staff quarters, landscaping and interlocking among others.

Adunmo, who, in company with the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on SDG’s, Mrs Abimbola Solanke, led a team from the Presidency on the inspection visit, said the SDG’s office in the state, once had a case of job abandonment by a contractor who was later picked by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and made refund the money.

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According to him, “We always try our possible best, in line of duty to ensure no contractor is left unmonitored and where you defaulted, we will make sure your further payment is delayed while you are warned to return to the site and do the needful or risk further actions that may not be palatable

“When we suspect foul play on our jobs, we give you a long rope of not longer than six months to amend your ways, after which the contract is terminated, and you are made to refund our money.

“There is no hiding place for defaulters, no matter where they may be hiding. That is why no contractor is fully paid up until a satisfactory work is delivered. I must, however, confess that 99 per cent of our present crop of contractors satisfactorily delivered on the jobs awarded them

“The truth about our part of the world is that no contractor wants to perform to target time and specification unless you put up a strong monitoring mechanism, and it is on the basis of this that I want to commend our team of top officials for making this possible through their close monitoring and uncompromised supervision, ” he said.

Adunmo said all the 56 completed projects are to be officially handed over to the benefiting council areas and communities within the next few weeks.

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