The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has denied contracts worth N5bn to local contractors, challenging them to provide evidence of such approvals.
In a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, on Monday, the minister insisted that no contracts were awarded under his administration to the firms in question. “If they have documents showing award of contracts by the minister, they should produce them,” the statement read.
It disclosed that in December 2023, a bill of about N10bn was presented to Mr Wike as outstanding payments for jobs executed by local contractors before he assumed office, categorised as “shopping” or minor procurement. The same month, the minister approved and facilitated the payment of over N5bn, followed by another N5bn in January 2024, clearing the initial N10bn debt.
However, three months later, another bill of over N15bn was submitted as outstanding payments for the same category of contracts. The minister reportedly raised concerns, questioning the legitimacy of the claims.
“How can you claim to have carried out jobs worth over N15bn within three months, without the approval of the minister? How can you accumulate over N15bn debt on contracts within three months?” the statement queried.
It further noted that the figures had fluctuated from N15bn to N8bn and then N5bn, demanding clarity on who authorised the contracts. “Those are the questions they have to answer first,” the statement concluded.
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