Oshiomhole revokes PDP chieftain’s contract, orders refund
From TONY OSAUZO, Benin
Monday, January 19, 2009
Edo State governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, peeved at the substandard materials used in the construction of the General Hospital in Ewohimi, Esan South East Local Government Area of the state, has revoked the N98 million contract, awarded to former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) state chairman, Prince Solomon Aguele and ordered that money already paid for project be refunded to government coffers immediately.
The Governor who revoked the contract after inspecting the project, also told the supervising engineer to contact the contractor in his own interest to return the sum of N34 million being the total sum of money paid him since the contract was awarded.
The governor, who visited the site after a reception organized in his honour by the people of Ewohimi who are also his in-laws, wondered how people did shoddy jobs and the supervisory ministry issued bogus certificates for the completion of such jobs.
Incidentally, the contractor, Prince Aguele hails from Ewohimi. So also is the supervisor who said he graduated from the University of Benin Law Faculty.
An apparently furious Oshiomhole after examining the quality of materials used for the job, while speaking to the contractor and the supervisor thundered: “Even my grandfather’s family mud house is stronger than this and you people from this community are part of this fraud? Is this what you will do for a community like yours? What is your background; Lawyer? As a lawyer, you know the meaning of agreement and specification? If you do this for your community, what will you do for other community?
“Look at the poor job. Profit already built into it and you are part of this fraud? Ask the contractor to return the money; there is no compromise at all.”
While addressing the ministry engineer handling the project, the governor said: “Is this job ok by you? On what basis are you supervising this job? You can only remain at work if you earn it. I am ready to dismiss anybody who is not ready to work and engage competent hands who are ready to work.
“Is this thing ok, engineer?,” pointing and breaking pieces of block with his hands.
“Money is spent and building collapses. Have you not heard of collapsed building arising from substandard materials? Those bad days are gone now that I am the governor. Why do you people deceive the community? When did Aguele become civil engineer to design this project?
“If you want to do bad job go far; not in your community. Government has given you hospital, look at it now. Tell the contractor to return the money for this contract in his own interest”, the governor ordered.
According to him; “We intend to ensure that there is no reason why a man who steals a goat and a secondary pupil who robs another guy of N5000 is sent to Oko Prisons and those who stole N98 million in the name of executing project go free. They must be punished.
“And when we start punishing them, let nobody say we are persecuting them because each day people steal public funds and run away and nothing happens, they are encouraging other people to resort to more stealing.”
Commenting on the Ewohimi-Ewatto-Ohordua project executed by the Osunbor administration, the governor also disclosed that the sum of N620 million was already expended out of the N1.3 billion budgeted before it was abandoned.
“We have to measure this figure because sometimes only half of the truth is told to our people. If money is judiciously spent on projects beneficial to our people, some of the cries that are carefully and eloquently presented to us would have been addressed by now.”
http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/news/national/2009/jan/19/national-19-01-2009-01.htm
OSHIOMOLE, OGBEMUDIA ON WAR PATH OVER GOVT VEHICLES
The directive by Governor Adams Oshiomhole requesting former governor and public officers to return vehicles allocated to them by the immediate administration of Prof. Oserheimen Osunbor is causing heat in Edo with a former Governor of the State, Dr. Sam Ogbemudia threatening legal action against the state government.
The chairman of the Assets Verification Committee, Mr. Elamah Oseni, had earlier apologized to Dr. Ogbemudia over the government's directive when it was discovered that the Ogbemudia ought not have been included amongst those to return their vehicles as allocation of vehicles to him was covered by law passed by the state House of Assembly.
But the state Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, insisted on Monday that Dr. Ogbemudia and former deputy to Governor John Oyegun, Rev. Peter Obadan, should return their vehicles to the state government within 24 hours, failing which they will be arrested.
"I direct Dr. Ogbemudia and Rev. Obadan to return those vehicles within 24 hours and if they haven't, we will either have them arrested or we will take other reasonable means to recover those vehicles.
"I do not want to do anything that will lead to some form of embarrassment but on the other hand, it will be far more embarrassing that people who are already very privileged are appropriating vehicles to themselves while majority of our countrymen cannot find panadol in public hospitals.
This is not negotiable. If anybody know them, they should just quietly return the vehicles before we take the matter to the Ring Road," Governor Oshiomhole said, shortly after he received the report of the Assets Verification Committee in Government House on Monday.
Continuing, he said: "I have heard stories that he (Ogbemudia) was a former governor. To the best of my knowledge, the law does not include former military governors.
If it does, all the former military governors who have been here one time or the other ought to have benefited. And if it is about his stewardship for three months, then, how do we explain that Chief John Oyegun, who was governor here for over a period of two or two and half years was not given any vehicle. And yet, his own deputy, Rev. Peter Obadan, was given vehicles. So, it is obvious that these vehicles were given merely as political patronage to friends of Prof. Osunbor."
The governor stressed that if there were other people who are in custody of government property, his administration will take every reasonable and legal means to recover those vehicles and put them to government's use, adding that records show that Dr. Ogbemudia was allocated three vehicles.
But Dr. Ogbemudia in a swift reaction on Tuesday through his Special Assistant, Mr. Iro Omorodion, recalled that two vehicles, a Toyota Prado Jeep and a Toyota Land Cruiser Jeep were allocated to him by the state government in 2007 in a letter signed by one O. Idahosa (Ms), who incidentally also signed the government's letter requesting Dr. Ogbemudia to return the said vehicles.
"We want to state categorically that the two vehicles mentioned above were, duly allocated to His Excellency, Dr. S. O. Ogbemudia, pursuant to his pension rights as provided for by law.
By Government's letters of allocation signed by the same Ms. O. Idahosa. Ref. No.401/3/2dated 19th October 2007, and Ref. No.A.401/2/T/135 dated 24th September 2007, the two vehicles were conveyed to Dr. Ogbemudia.
"The embarrassment your said libelous announcements and publications are causing Dr. Ogbemudia is enormous, and we are by this letter, demanding a retraction with due apologies within 48 hours. Meanwhile, we are passing your letter and publications, together with our title documents to our lawyer for further action," Dr. Ogbemudia's letter forwarded to the Edo State Government through the office of Head of Service, said. Good jobs by the Action Governor! May God protect him from the political sharks in Edo State. Amen. |
