The Zamfara State government has presented some evidence against the immediate-past administration in the State, in relation to the Gusau International (cargo) Airport project.
Matawalle, last Friday, denied the allegations of embezzling billions from the Zamfara cargo airport project.
In a statement issued in Gusau yesterday, the Spokesperson to Zamfara Governor, Sulaiman Bala Idris, said that the response by Matawalle exposed a “blatant violation of trust, opening a Pandora’s Box”. According to him, the bad financial situation the current administration met in Zamfara State was caused by the past government of Bello Matawalle.
He alleged that the former governor directed the Ministry of Local Government to withdraw N1 billion from the Local Government Joint Account on October 25, 2021, and to pay N825 million to the contractors therefrom without any valuation. He said this was in complete disregard of due process.
The statement read in part: “The Zamfara State Government would ordinarily not respond to an accused, but as a responsible government, we feel compelled to provide the facts following his denial of the alleged embezzlement. To avoid doubt, the embezzlement of resources from the people of Zamfara through the airport was just a tiny part of many other acts of theft and financial banditry committed against the people in various incomplete projects.
“It is doubtful that the project’s cost was reduced from N28 billion to N11 billion in round figures. No reputable bidder would agree to a drastic reduction of 61% in cost without a corresponding reduction in the scope of work. This raises questions about the integrity of the bidding process.
“For the record, an initial advance payment was made to the contractors representing 30 per cent of the total contract in the sum of N3,465,569,736.90 without the approval of the designs and bills of quantities of the project by relevant government departments on the 19th of June 2020 almost 11 months after the award. Throughout the period, nothing was done to certify the drawings, bills and secure necessary approvals of relevant airport regulatory authorities.
“Only a few days after the initial payment, the government came up with new terminology in the contract and approved what it called ‘loan’ to the contractors in the sum of N2,310,379,824.60. This payment was referred to as a loan to the contractors when very little work had been done on-site. The relevant government institutions did not certify the payment, weren’t correctly vouched and were therefore irregular in the government’s finance management.
“The claim that the runway, taxi, Apron, terminal building, ‘water pool’ water reservoir, boreholes, cargo hall and fire service buildings are between 50-100 per cent completion is laughable. A cursory look at the subsisting contract documents and site visits would reveal the lies and deception in the claims.
“Available records show that Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and Nigeria Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) were only involved in the project after it had already begun, which goes against the standard practice in the aviation industry. Usually, they must be involved in all project stages, including planning, design, and implementation.
“It is essential to remind the former governor that the contractor and the supervising Ministry measured all on-site works together during his administration. The measurements were taken during the execution of the project, and the records are available. Therefore, the total value of the work done to date, N2.25 billion (19.47%), was based on these measurements.
“Governor Lawal’s administration is not making false claims or creating issues where there are none. The initial statement released to the public is just the tip of the iceberg. The transition committee thoroughly reviewed the assets and liabilities of Zamfara State after Gov. Lawal’s victory in the March 2023 polls, uncovering several shocking revelations.
“The public will soon learn about the mass looting under the past administration. Those involved in these inhumane actions will be held accountable, regardless of their societal status. It is a series of revelations following the opening of Pandora’s Box”.
