The Bauchi State Budget Monitoring and Public Procurement Agency says the administration of Governor Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed of Bauchi State has awarded different projects aimed at reviving critical sectors of the economy worth over 45 billion naira within its first year of office.
Speaking with Government House Correspondents on the one year anniversary of the governor, the Chairman of the Agency, Engineer Joshua Sanga said the awarded projects followed due process and were issued with certificate of no objection.
Engineer Joshua Sanga pointed out that, the Agency is fully involved in the award of the projects and it will monitor them to ensure their execution in line with procurement act.
According to him, the state has made a lot of progress and compliance in the execution of projects in all the identified sectors.
“Ideally each and every project in the excess of one million naira in the state ought to come to this office before even been awarded; we have to check the price, we have to check the award process, the procurement process, and whether the right contractor was given the job or not and to ensure that the job is done.
“Since the assumption of office of this administration, we have a record of over seventy contracts awarded valued at about N45 billion; and this is unprecedented as there is no government that has this kind of records within a short period of time”, he said.
Sanga added that; “his Excellency, the governor needs to be highly commended on that and Bauchi people need to appreciate the gesture.
“If you look round Bauchi, you will see new projects of over five hundred classrooms built or renovated; the roads, and other numerous projects in different areas.
Engr Sanga who described the governor as “workaholic”, opined that “he ensures that he keeps us on our toes so that jobs awarded are being done as the law permits and as agreed by the contractors.”
The Chairman said the mandate of the agency is specifically in the areas of procurement of government projects, ensuring that money budgeted for the execution of projects is judiciously used in that the value for money is being driven from each and every project awarded by the government.
“Seventy to eighty percent of government money apart from paying of salaries goes to execution of projects; so the role of this office is price intelligence. “We have to check prices to know whether it’s okay or we add or subtract where necessary to make sure there is value for every single Kobo, the other role of the office is also monitoring.
“Once a contract is awarded and the job is being executed, it’s the role of this office to at least go out and check whether the job is done rightly—that is the major role of this office”, he added.
He said to ensure execution of projects in line with international best practices; Governor Bala Mohammed has engaged the services of Engineer Emeka Eze, a former engineer who was Director General in the Bureau of Public Procurement to work out modalities of revamping the agency.
“The governor is about to celebrate his one year in office, the Akuyam road is about forty five percent completion, Yalwan Duguri to Burga, a very big project is also thirty percent, NITEL and Raji quarters is one hundred percent completed even hospital road Azare and Tafawa Balewa road are hundred percent”, he said.
In addition to road constructions, Sanag said the administration has within one year of office constructed over “five hundred newly built and renovated classrooms, built seven hundred boreholes in partnership with UNICEF and RUWASA.”
He said the administration has offered succor to many communities across nook and crannies of the state by providing portable water.
Sanga said with the Coronavirus pandemic, governments are paying attention to the health sectors.
Engineer Joshua Sanga who noted that, being one of the key components of the State Fiscal Transparency, Accountability and Sustainability Programs (SFTAS), the agency has worked very hard with other relevant MDAs to achieve the desired objectives.
He said the agency’s works have help the state remain transparent, an omen that enabled Bauchi State access more grants worth billions of naira within the administration’s one year of stewardship.
The Chairman while congratulating Governor Bala Mohammed for the remarkable achievements in the last one year assured him of the total support of the agency for the success of his administration.
“We pray he will continue with the execution of developmental projects—and the free hands he gave us will continue to give us the opportunity to operate as an independent office, and we promise not to fail him or disappoint him.
“We will make sure the people of Bauchi State benefits from each and every Kobo budgeted for projects and to the glory of God”, he emphasized.
