The Senate has queried the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Information and Culture, Nebolisa Anako over payment of N460 million to contractors without completing the projects.
The payment of N460 million was made to contractors for the execution of projects in Ekiti and Ebonyi states, according to 2015 report of the Auditor-General of the Federation.
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The report was submitted to the Senate Committee on Public Accounts, which is probing the spendings of federal government’s agencies.
The report listed the projects paid for but not completed to include: N51 million for the construction of roads, parking lots, drainage at Ureje Dam in Ado Ekiti; N132 million for the construction of Ureje Dam waterfront; N138 million for the construction of Event centre/Resturant at Ureje Dam; N122 million for construction of fence, gate House at Ureje Dam waterfront; and N17 million for the construction of fence at Exekuna cultural museum in Nchi-Onu, Amuzu Ezza local government in Ebonyi state.
It asked the ministry to ensure the contractors either completed the work or refund the money collected and forward the recovery particulars for audit verification.
But the permanent Secretary in his written response said the contractor has completed 60 percent of the projects at the Ureje Dam in Ado Ekiti and promised to hand over the projects on or before 30th June 2017 to the Ministry vide the minutes of the meeting held with the contractors handling the contracts on the 20th April.
However, the contractor was yet to complete the projects as at the time the ministry’s Permanent Secretary appeared before the Committee on Tuesday.
The chairman of the committee, Senator Matthew Urhoghide, ordered the Permanent Secretary to get the contractor to complete the job.
“Go and get him to complete that job. Until this man does this job, you will never have respite,” Urhoghide told the permanent secretary.
