The lawmaker representing Darazo–Ganjuwa in the House of Representatives Mansur Manu Soro has reacted to a WikkiTimes report documenting how he used a briefcase company, Sahel Global Desert Energy Ltd to execute questionable constituency projects worth about N100 million.
The WikkiTimes report found that the company which lack credentials to undertake the projects having been registered as an energy firm and not construction company, also belongs to the law-maker’s political ally.
Responding, the law maker in a statement signed by his personal assistant on new media Yahya Aleeyu, described the report as “false, baseless and a calculated attempt to criminally defame the good character of Rep. Mansur Manu Soro.”
“Our attention has been drawn to an online publication by Wikki Times of April 16th 2024 accusing HMHR, Rep. Mansur Manu Soro of awarding a contract to his close associate among other ridiculous accusations. But for the unsuspecting members of the public, we would have chosen to ignore their accusations that remain false, baseless and a calculated attempt to criminally defame the good character of Rep. Mansur Manu Soro.”
“That in accordance with the principles of the separation of power as enshrined in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), Legislators are only empowered to make laws for implementation by the Executive. Thus, members of the Federal Legislature of which Rep. Mansur Manu Soro is a member, neither award contracts nor have the treasury within their reach to pay contractors.”
“That, it’s the responsibility of the Executive arm of the government through its Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to ensure the implementation of bills passed by the National Assembly and assented to by the President, as provided for in section 58 & 59 of the constitution.”
“Hence Rep. Mansur Manu Soro was not privy to the procurement process that led to the award of the said contracts.”
“That available information obtained from CAC indicated beyond reasonable doubts that their story is fundamentally inaccurate and amounts to falsity.”
“That section 18 sub-section 1&2 of the Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA) 2020 provided for all Nigerians the right to register a company irrespective of where they originated from, as such, people from my community or any other place have the lawful rights to incorporate companies for lawful businesses.
“That implementing MDAs award contracts to companies only after a participatory bidding processes and securing of due process certification from the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) as required by the public procurement law. Neither my office nor the National Assembly is allowed by law to influence the process at any given stage.”
“That Rep. Mansur Manu Soro, like any other National Assembly member’s power ends with nominating project into the budget, facilitating project contact persons and handing over of project to benefitting community and sub national governments for utilization.”
“That in order to ensure non-duplication of similar projects in one community, my constituency office in 2021 following consultations with stakeholders in Darazo LGA directed for threlocation of project for the health facility meant for Gabciyari to Aliyah village – the most remotest community of my constituency – bordering Gombe and Taraba states.”the lawmaker noted.
WIKKITIMES STANDS BY ITS REPORTING
WikkiTimes firmly stands by its reporting, having accurately documented the connections between the lawmaker and Sahel Global Desert Energy Ltd. The publication meticulously detailed the relationship between the lawmaker and the director of the company, highlighting that the director is a close ally of the lawmaker. This makes the lawmaker a person of interest in the contract award, pointing to a clear conflict of interest. Such a scenario constitutes a breach of Nigeria’s public procurement act, which states that a conflict of interest may arise in a procurement process involving a person,if…
“(b) possesses a direct or indirect interest in or relationship with a bidder, supplier, contractor or service provider that is inherently unethical or that may be implied or constructed to be, or make possible personal gain due to the person’s ability to influence dealings”.
“(c) entertains relationships which are unethical, rendering his attitude partial toward the outsider for personal reasons or otherwise inhibit the impartiality of the person’s business judgments”.
Soro, in a desperate attempt to deflect from the main findings of the report, argues that “That section 18 sub-section 1&2 of the Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA) 2020 provided for all Nigerians the right to register a company irrespective of where they originated from, as such, people from my community or any other place have the lawful rights to incorporate companies for lawful businesses.”
WikkiTimes did not contend the fact that anyone can register a company. Its reporting emphasized the connection between the lawmaker and the company awarded the contract, which the medium argues violates the procurement act. The lawmaker did not refute his connection to the company; instead, he attempted to divert readers’ attention from this issue.
Additionally, WikkiTimes contends that the project in Gabciyari was nonexistent, a claim the lawmaker himself confirmed in his press statement. He revealed that the project had been relocated to Aliyah village, despite previously informing WikkiTimes that he was unaware of any project award for Gabciyari village.
The lawmaker also failed to speak on the poorly executed project that The Sahel Global Desert Energy Ltd was awarded for the construction of a Maternal and Child Health Centre in Gungura, Ganjuwa LGA. The company received N7,813,005.74 on 29th July 20 21 as final payment for the construction of 1no maternal and child health clinic at Gungura with a payment code of 1000838056-13.
WikkiTimes’ investigation revealed that months after its construction, part of the facility’s roofing was damaged, compromising its suitability for hospital services.
WikkiTimes further noted that, the company received a payment of N62,741,210.10 on April 1, 2021, for the construction and rehabilitation of the Soro-Gungura, Soro-Shila, and Yautare-Tanya roads in the Ganjuwa/Darazo Federal Constituency of Bauchi State. Similar to the situation with the Gabciyari maternal and child health clinic, the road projects in Soro-Shila and Yautare-Tanya were not carried out by the company.
WikkiTimes also pointed out other projects that were poorly executed, a topic the lawmaker did not address in his press statement. Instead, he focused on praising his own contributions, including donations to hospitals, which WikkiTimes did not dispute.
Our reporting accurately focused on abandoned projects, subpar execution of projects, and conflicts of interest in the awarding of contracts.
The lawmaker has not refuted any of our claims as false. He inaccurately stated that he invited a WikkiTimes reporter for a physical interview regarding the projects, when in fact, during an audio interview, he only invited the reporter to the inauguration of different projects—not the ones under investigation by WikkiTimes at that time. He made a concerted effort to avoid addressing questions about the projects being scrutinized by the publication.
His dismissive statements attempted to divert attention from the main issues reported by WikkiTimes, seemingly with the intent to mislead the public and diminish the call for accountability.
It’s also crucial to note that the lawmaker did not deny his connection with the director of Sahel Energy, Abubakar Abdullahi, as mentioned in our report.
Mansur Manu Soro responded to the issues raised in the WikkiTimes report with expletives instead of engaging constructively, behavior unbecoming for a representative in a democratic society. Hon Mansur Manu should account for the poorly executed projects under his oversight, as the public deserves transparency and prudent management of their resources.
