Reps Accuse FCT Authorities Of Connivance With Julius Berger On Projects

The House of Representatives Committee on Federal Capital Territory (FCT) yesterday identified a number of sundry discrepancies in the N37.756billion 2016 FCT national priority budget proposal, and accused officials of the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) of connivance with construction company, Julius Berger to allegedly defraud the country in its execution of high profile projects in the territory.

Consequently, the panel has asked the authorities to go back and tidy up the budget as well as correct the noted sundry discrepancies with a view to representing it to the committee for approval.

Members of the committee who came hard on the FCT administration during the session at the National Assembly yesterday also expressed outrage over the continued patronage of the company in Abuja to facilitate the execution of sundry projects in the territory without commensurate result to justify the huge budgetary allocation to the firm to handle the projects.

Chairman of the committee, Herman Hembe who led members of the panel to scrutinise the 2016 National Priority Budget Defence by the FCT Minister, Mohammed Bello yesterday, specifically queried N96 million expended by the authorities to build a 12-man mosque inside the proposed Vice President’s residence being constructed by Julius Berger.

Obviously outraged, he asked, “Why do you patronise people (companies) who continue to embarrass the country.”Hembe had at the beginning of the session queried the unrealistic manner the contract for the Vice President’s residence was awarded and the non- completion of the project after the payment of N6.2 billion from the N7 billion already budgeted for it in the 2015 appropriation.

Members of the committee who took turns to ask questions further queried why the FCT authorities would supervise the huge expenditure by the company “without commensurate result,” adding “the construction company is already asking for variation.”

Responding, the minister who was accompanied on the budget Defence session by the FCT Permanent Secretary, Babatope Ajakaiye among other officials, however, apologised for the discrepancies in the proposal and assured the panel that necessary corrections would be made in the document by administration, to enable for representation to the committee for approval.

It will be recalled that the committee on Monday accused officials of the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) of diversion of the funds meant for compensation and resettlement of the aborigines of the FCT.

The Herman Hembe-led House Committee made the accusation when the members of the panel paid an oversight visit to some project sites under the supervision of the FCT authorities.

In two of the four sites visited, the contractors complained of inability to carry on with work owing to resistance put up by the villagers who are, curiously demanding compensation from the contractors.

General Manager of Gilmor Engineering Nigeria Limited, Mr. Moshe Nachom and Managing Director of Dantata and Sawoe construction company Ltd, Mr. Udo Heidschuster both dismissed claims relating to compensation and asked the visiting lawmakers to direct questions on the matter to officials of FCDA.

Reacting to the issue of compensation and resettlement, Director of Engineering Department, FCDA, Adamu Abu told the members that the initial agreement the authorities had with the indigenes was to integrate them and not to facilitate compensation in monetary form as claimed by the aborigines.

However, Zephaniah Bitrus Jiasalo, member representing AMAC/Bwari Federal Constituency of FCT, said it was “disheartening that the engineers of FCDA are all talking of settlement of villagers whereas nothing was paid to them and I cannot even see any plan for integration by the ministry as claimed.”

“I know that N1.5 billion was released by the federal government for compensation of villagers in Centenary Village by the same FCDA, yet no money was paid to the indigenes. We at the National Assembly are going to investigate this matter,” he vowed.