An organization called the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) has called on the Federal Government to look into the re-award of the Abuja-Kaduna highway contract, noting that the secrecy and lack of clarity surrounding the process violates Nigeria’s public procurement laws. The Executive Director of CISLAC, Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, while drawing attention to the issue in a statement demanded an urgent investigation into the procurement process and the individuals involved, and stressed the need for transparency and accountability in government contracting.
The civil society group said that the N252.89 billion contract was re-awarded after being withdrawn from Julius Berger Nigeria Plc due to pricing disputes and project delays.
On the other hand, the ongoing debates over whether the contract was awarded to “Infoquest” or “Infiouest” have raised serious worries about transparency and the Federal Government’s commitment to completing the project.
“How the re-award of the contract was handled may represent a blatant violation of procurement laws and corporate governance standard.
Lack of transparency in public procurement has been one of the biggest problems weakening Nigeria’s growth, and urgent corrective measure is needed,” he said.
CISLAC cautioned that awarding such a high-value contract to a company with controversial credentials is a damage to Nigerians and compromises accountability, stating that this raises critical questions about the due diligence conducted by relevant authorities.
The Public Procurement Act of 2007 mandates that contracts be awarded through a competitive and transparent process to qualified contractors. CISLAC questioned the criteria used to assess Infiouest Nigeria Limited’s bid and called for an independent review of the procurement process.
The group urged the President, Bola Tinubu to order a thorough investigation into the procurement process and to hold all individuals involved responsible It also called on anti-corruption agencies to investigate the matter, given the importance of the project to the well-being and safety of Nigerians.