- Mr. Usani Uguru said the government uncovered misappropriation of fund in the Niger Delta Ministry between 2009 and 2015
- The minister said relevant agencies concerned with recovery of government assets have been notified
- Some of the contractors who got monies left without completing their projects
Mr. Usani Uguru who is the minister of Niger Delta affairs has revealed that the federal government has uncovered massive fraud between 2009 and 2015 in some of the contracts executed.
The Punch reports that the minister made this revelation on Wednesday, May 31 after the federal executive council meeting saying most of the contractors fled with monies paid them while some were only able to implement 12 per cent of the projects they were paid for.
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The minister said about N423 billion has been expended in the region during the period which does not even include the sums expended by other intervention agencies.
He said: “From this amount, projects execution rate has been at 12 per cent with an average completion rate of a project standing at five years. The impact rate is eight per cent.”
Uguru said he got the council’s approval to make the report available to relevant government agencies in charge of recovering government assets that had either been misappropriated or hidden in some quarters.
He said: “With this, it means all those who have accessed government resources for one purpose or another must be compelled to make adequate use of same, otherwise they will face the recommendation that goes with such violations.
“That is our position concerning that report and we have received council’s approval for that.
“Sixty per cent cost has been paid out to contractors with 12 per cent completion rate. Sixty per cent of the amount of money appropriated which is N700bn, 60 per cent of that constitutes N423bn.
“To find that such money has been spent in that region with the kind of work we see, shows that there is something tangibly and obviously wrong with how procurement had been carried out in the ministry.
“The number of projects awarded was 427 and there is no uniform action by each of the contractors. So, the measure of action to be taken to address the shortfall of our expectations or commitment to contractual agreements will be the determinant of what will be done.
“Those that require sanctions will be sanctioned. The sanctions may not be uniform. It will be according to the measure of liabilities hold by each of the contractors.
“Some will be compelled to return to site. Some, of course, should be made to refund money, those who we have seen by their actions displaying criminal intent by collecting money and not appearing at sites at all.
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“The report is not just all about punishing people. There are also those who have performed well and are commended and the report recommended that they should be encouraged to carry on in their contractual commitments.
“The report has also recommended that sanction will be taken against officers. There are rules. I don’t know if they will amount to purge."
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