It is a fact that waste of resources and flouting of due process is a major challenge in governance in Nigeria. The first step to curbing corruption across every tier of government is to ensure due process and strict compliance to procurement process is adhered to because this not only eradicates corrupt practices but also curbs waste that is associated with contract inflation.
Often, in the award of contracts in government agencies and parastatals across the country, the most qualified among companies that bid do not get selected to execute projects neither do those that give the most pocket friendly quotation for reasons best known to those involved in the selection.
This is why governors need to pay attention to what is happening in their states and also ensure that they do not jeopardise the welfare of their people; sentiments should not be allowed in deciding the affairs of finances or contract awards in their state because the effect is not always good and it will affect the people as a whole.
This may make such states lose out in projects that are beneficial to the people like it may happen in Oyo state soon as a result of seeming attempts to undermine the World Bank procurement strategy in a contract that is to be awarded by the Ibadan Urban Flood Management Project (IUFMP) on the proposed Construction of second Pool of Long Term Investments for Flood Control in Ibadan City.
There are murmurings among contractors that made bids for the project’s Lot 1- 4 that unqualified contractors are going to get the jobs even when their quotation is in excess of N7 billion naira above the lowest bidders in the four Lots just because they have links to the government.
- Aliyah Abejide,
Ibadan
This act if continued may lead to the state losing 200 million international bank development fund due to lack of due process and it is alleged that this executive interference has put the state and World Bank at loggerheads and could potentially lead to the bank cancelling the 200 million dollars development fund granted to Oyo state.
The contract process was meant to have been concluded by the end of last year but is being stalled because of interference in choosing contractors contrary to World Bank procedure. There are already four different petitions written to World Bank in respect to this issue and it is time the right thing is done in the overall interest of all and not to satisfy a few people.
This kind of cancellation will have dramatic impact have adverse effect on the people of the state. Government should learn to allow all projects be on merit; awarding a multi billion naira project on sentiments do not augur well for the development of any state.
Aliyah Abejide,
Ibadan
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