The Ministry of Works and Housing on Thursday explained how it paid N151m to Cartil Construction Nigeria Limited for the rehabilitation of the Ife-Ifewara Road.
Recall that the Redeemed Christian Church of God had in a petition filed by Pastor Niyi Adebanjo on 9th February, 2021, accused the ministry of making the payment for the rehabilitation of the road which it facilitated as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility.
Adebanjo, who filed the petition on behalf of the General Overseer, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, had alleged that the ministry made the payment between 2016 and 2018 to the same contractor that abandoned the road which was eventually reconstructed by the Church to the tune of N181m
The Church therefore urged the Senate to direct Cartil Construction Limited to refund the money and ensure its payment to government coffer.
“If anyone is to be reimbursed for the rehabilitation of the road; it should be to the RCCG and not the contractor,” it said.
However, appearing before the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions on Thursday, the Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola explained that the money was not paid between 2016 and 2018 to the contractors.
Fashola noted that the contract for the road was awarded to Cartil Construction in December 2010 for N662m as a constituency project executed under the Ministry of Works; five years before the regime of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.).
The minister said based on Section 36 of the Public Procurement Act, the contractor was entitled to 15 per cent as mobilisation fee but the then minister first approved the payment of N99.4m to Cartil Construction Limited in 2011
Fashola said having moved to site, a second payment of N52m was made on the 29th of December, 2011, bringing the total to N151m
He said contrary to the RCCG claims, the ministry under him did not pay any money to the contractors between 2016-2018.
According to him, there was no proof that an unjust claim was made by the contractor or made by the ministry and that there was no basis for the petition.
He also said there was no evidence to back up claims that the funds were not released in 2011 to Cartil Construction Limited.
“The Ife-Ifewara Road is not a federal road. It is a state road within Osun State in the South-West Nigeria.
“It is a 6.3m wide single carriageway, 15km long with 1.5m earth shoulders on either side,” he said.
