Steer clear of MDAs contracts, CSO cautions lawmakers

A Civil Society Organisation, Accountability Forum, has cautioned federal lawmakers to restrict themselves to the business of legislation and leave contract execution in Ministries, Departments and Agencies to certified contractors.

Addressing journalists in Abuja on Monday, the spokesperson of the Forum, Magnus Anthony, said the admonition was on the heels of findings that fresh contracts being awarded by the MDAs, particularly the Ministry of Works have some

members of the National Assembly or their proxies as beneficiaries.

The forum further alleged that most of the projects captured in the 2022 amended supplementary budget are being handled by lawmakers.

He said: “Projects being handled by the lawmakers or their proxies include N5billion allocated under FERMA for completion of Yanfada-Kunchi-Bagwai road; construction of Yarmawa-Jakata-Farinruwa-Tsanyawa-Tofa road worth N6.2bn; N16.6bn Katsina-Ala/Takum road; rehabilitation of Kanya Babbura-Buban Mutum road in Jigawa which is to gulp N14bn.”

The Forum recalled that the National Assembly had recently amended the 2022 supplementary budget with the sum of N185 billion earmarked for payment to contractors handling work on flood control infrastructures in the same Ministry of Works.

The forum further enjoined the Ministry to urgently pay contractors by prioritizing those that have completed their work instead of awarding new contracts and insisted that the decision to use part of the money to award new contracts when contractors are being owed was self-serving.

While calling for a review of the fresh contracts, the CSO said it would not hesitate to mobilise for mass protest.

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