The Federal Ministry of Works and Housing has denied that it awarded the contract for the rehabilitation of Adamami-Madakeri road in Bauchi State despite documented evidence of the ministry paying contractors over N209,827,706.22 million for the project.
The ministry made the claim in a letter sent to WikkiTimes through the International Centre for Investigative Reporting after an investigation that exposed how the ministry spent money for road rehabilitation that was never done.
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“Records from Highways, Planning and Development Department shows that Adamami-Madakeri road is not in the list of projects handled by the ministry,” Ode Martins, Director Planning and Research with the ministry claimed in the letter.
WikkiTimes’ investigation documented how the ministry in June 2021 paid Amis & S Global Service and other contractors millions for the rehabilitation of the 28 km Adamami-Madakeri road.
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The one-month investigation by this medium revealed that while no rehabilitation was done on the road by the contractor, road users plying the road continue to lament its terrible condition.
Contrary to the ministry’s claims, data from an open contracting portal shows that the ministry awarded the contract and paid contractors for the road rehabilitation.
The ministry, however, claimed that Yana-Shira Azare road was rehabilitated in 2014.
“The project is 100% per cent complete and satisfactorily maintained for 12 months by the contractor and handed over to the Federal Government on March 23rd 2015”, the letter read in part.
But WikkiTimes can authoritatively report that the ministry made false claims.
For instance, data from the office of the Accountant General of the Federation shows that the ministry is responsible for the maintenance of the two roads and released funds to contractors for the roads’ rehabilitation.
Payment records for road rehabilitation show that funds were spent for road rehabilitation as recently as last year.
In June 2021, the ministry paid Amis & S Global Merchant another N32,784,796.69
Million for the rehabilitation of Adamami-Madakeri road which it is now claiming that it was never responsible for the maintenance of this particular road.
