Chief Anenih in a four-page letter dated November 29, to Speaker, Aminu Tambuwal, said he was miffed that a member of the House of Representatives could make such unfounded allegations.
Anenih clerified the contract was awarded to
Torno Internationale after it put in the lowest bid of N2.318 billion
with 18 months completion and secured the Federal Executive Council
approval.
“It is instructive to note that during
evaluation and inspections, the competence and capacity of Torno to
execute the contract was never in doubt because their construction
equipment were all on display at Zuru Town in Kebbi State where they
were doing a township road for the Kebbi State Government. Also of note
is that Torno’s parent company Torno Internationale SPA, built Shiroro
dam in 1990,” he said.
Anenih said he left office at a point
when the contractor had received a total of N672 million by the end of
October 2002 and was at 16% level of completion.
“However, I am told that in 2004, two
years after I had left the ministry, based on the threat by the
contractor to stop work on the ground that the contract has been
frustrated by government’s failure to pay for job executed after several
demands for such payment to be made, the then Honourable Minister
(Senator Adeseye Ogunlewe) took a memo to Federal Executive Council for
the termination of the contract. I was further informed that the
contractor in 2005, took the matter for arbitration and obtained
judgment against the government. It is therefore clear from the
foregoing that the contract was not terminated by government on the
ground of incompetence of the contractor rather it was the contractor
that sought termination because of failure of Government to pay for job
done,” he further stated.
No comments:
Post a Comment