By DAPO FALADE
The Oyo State government, on Tuesday, announced that it has re-awarded the contract for the construction of the Saki Township Road at the cost of N4,796,000,000 billion.
The contract was initially awarded at the cost of N8 billion by the immediate past administration of the late Senator Abiola Ajimobi, but the work was practically abandoned, leading to residents of the historic city and the traditional ruler, to make representations to Governor Seyi Makinde for a redemption of the project.
According to a statement by the Chief Press Secretary to Governor, Mr. Taiwo Adisa, Governor Seyi Makinde had, during a visit to Saki where he commissioned the Saki Specialist Hospital, two weeks ago, terminated the contract.
His decision was informed by what he called inconsistencies and underperformance by the contractor, promising that the project will be re-awarded within four weeks.
Briefing newsmen shortly after the Oyo State Executive Council meeting held at the Government House, Agodi, Ibadan, on Tuesday, the state’s Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Barrister Olasunkanmi Olaleye, said the contract for the road was re-awarded to Messrs Peculiar Ultimate Concerns Ltd, under the Alternative Project Funding Approach (APFA).
“Today, the EXCO re-awarded the Saki township road. The contract has been re-awarded to Messrs Peculiar Ultimate Concerns Ltd for the sum of N4,796,000,000, under the Alternative Project Funding Approach. The contract will be completed within twelve months.
“As we know, the last administration awarded that contract for over N8billion, and above N3billion was paid but nothing much has been done on the job. It has even caused untold hardship to the people of Saki to the extent that the whole town complained that the contract should be re-awarded.
“Having examined the issue of the contract critically, the EXCO re-awarded it to another contractor that will complete it within twelve months,” the commissioner said.
In another development, the Oyo State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Professor Oyelowo Oyewo, as been quoted to have said that the State Executive Council approved the expansion of the Ministry of Energy to Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources.
This, he said, was in order to fulfil the objectives, vision and goals of the government with respect to energy and mineral resources.
“We just finished the 26th EXCO meeting today. Of importance to our ministry is the passage of a bill, which is going to be forwarded to the Oyo State House of Assembly. And that is the bill on Energy and Mineral Resources 2020.
“This bill will revise the Ministry of Energy Law of 2019. And what this bill has done is to look at the 2019 law, with respect to the function that needed to be carried-on by some other ministries that had to be domiciled in the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources.
“So, the name of the Ministry has been further expanded from Energy to include Mineral Resources, in order to be able to fulfil the objectives, vision and goals of the government with respect to energy and mineral resources.
“The functions of the bill in section 4 of the 2019 Law has been further expanded to ensure there are matters relating to energy, electricity and also the coordination, with respect to inter-ministerial relationship with federal agencies and also intra-ministerial relationship with MDAs, are well captured.
“Furthermore, the departments of the ministry have been quite created to highlight the new vision of the government in creating the Ministry of Energy and Mineral resources,” he said.
Oyewo also stated that the state government approved the sum of N84million for the purchase of fire truck for the Federal Airport Authority (FAAN), Ibadan Chapter, to improve its facilities for the prevention of fire accidents at the airport.
“The second item is the approval by the Oyo State Government to enable FAAN to improve its facilities for the prevention of fire accident in the purchase of one fire truck, because the one they have in their stock has become old and cannot meet up with the vision of Oyo State to have Ibadan Airport upgraded.
“So, as part of that, the state has helped in purchasing a particular quality of fire truck, which has been approved for purchase. It will be able to deal with all fire emergencies at the airport, even when it is finally upgraded,” he said.
Similarly, the state Commissioner for Energy and Mineral Resources, Barrisyer Temilolu ‘Seun Ashamu, hinted that the State Executive Council awarded the contract for the construction of Gedu-Oroki, Sabo Asipa Road in Oyo Township for the sum of N2,900,000,000billion.
The contract for the road, he said, was awarded to Messrs AMAC Engineering Ltd, under the Alternative Project Funding Approach, which will see the contractor execute the project with its funds while the state will repay over a period of 28 months.
“The state’s EXCO today resolved to award the Gedu-Oroki-Sabo-Asipa road in Oyo township, under the APFA to Messrs AMAC Engineering Ltd, for a total sum of N2,900,000,000. The contractor shall use their fund to complete the project and the state government shall repay over a period of about 28 months,” Ashamu said.
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