I Will Probe Ajimobi’s Last Minute Contracts Award- Makinde
The Oyo State governor-elect, Engr. Seyi Makinde on Sunday vowed to probe and review all contracts awarded after the March 9 gubernatorial election and others still being awarded by the current administration led by Senator Abiola Ajimobi.
Makinde in a statement signed on his behalf by Prince Dotun Oyelade, and made available to newsmen in Ibadan said events of the past two weeks have shown characteristics of targeted contract awards that were compiled in haste and randomly awarded to empty government purse before the May 29th swearing-in date.
According to him, there will be radical review of all contracts awarded by the APC-led administration in the state from March.
The statement said that while the government remains in place till May 28, awarding a N30 billion new set of contracts in one day as was the case during last Wednesday’s executive meeting was curious and an aberration , especially when debts, as old as 2011 were left unpaid.
He pointed out that information from civil servants who have the interest of the state at heart suggested a grand plan to disrupt the smooth take off of the in-coming administration by mopping up all available funds.
“In the new contracts of N30 billion which money is to be paid tomorrow, Monday, March 25, 2019, a large chunk of money was allocated as consultancy fees and design to outsiders even when the Ministry of Works and Housing has qualified engineers,” he explained.
He said though he had promised not to probe the outgoing administration, civil servants who connive in illegal and strange contract awards would have themselves to blame in the next few weeks.
Makinde specifically warned permanent secretaries and the office of the Accountant General as well as banks to be wary of such antics.
According to him, there are also plans to mischievously increase the wages of tertiary institutions staff for the next two months without actually paying them before May 29 thereby leaving the new administration to grapple with the burden.
