By Winifred Momoh
On Tuesday, the Public Accounts Committee of the House of Representatives began looking into the alleged N1.46 billion abandoned Gidanwaya-Guaran Dutse-Waman Rafi-Saminaka-Kano road project in Kaduna state.
During an investigative hearing on Tuesday in Abuja, the committee voiced its disapproval of the project while questioning Dr. Yakubu Adam, the Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Works.
The inspection of vital national assets, particularly roads built within the last five years, was the subject of the hearing.
According to Rep. Bamidele Salam (PDP-Osun), the committee’s chairman, the project’s funding came from a federal loan.According to information we obtained from the Debt Management Office, many of the roads were even built using federal loans.
However, on October 5, 2022, the Federal Ministry of Works awarded a specific road in Kaduna State with the name Gidanwaya-Guaran Dutse-Waman Rafi-Saminaka-Kano road, and Messrs. Jam Jam Dynamic Platform Limited was paid N1.461 billion for it.
According to him, “this road was supposed to be finished within 12 months; there is an allegation that the road awarded in 2022 has not started as we speak and the Federal Ministry of Works has fully paid the sum to the contractor concerned.”
The inspection of vital national assets, particularly roads, was the subject of the hearing.The inspection of vital national assets, particularly roads built within the last five years, was the subject of the hearing.
According to Rep. Bamidele Salam (PDP-Osun), the committee’s chairman, the project’s funding came from a federal loan.The permanent secretary clarified in his response, however, that the sum did not cover the full 133-kilometer road.
He clarified that the funding was only for a portion of the road and that, because of financial constraints, the road would need to be completed in stages.
However, the official was surprised that the road had not been completed because the ministry awarded the contract after the committee received the report.
He expressed regret to the committee for not accepting earlier invitations, claiming that they were not received.The committee decided that by Friday, November 1, the permanent secretary must turn in all project-related paperwork and return on Monday, November 4.
In his decision, Salam stated that timely document submission would allow the committee to review the documents for a thorough investigation of the issue.
We requested specific documents, and we anticipate that you will give us more information so that the committee can decide how best to verify the veracity of the claim that the road has been completed while the contractor has received full payment,” he stated.
