SGF refutes media reports, says office does not award contracts

The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, has said contracts are not awarded from his office, even as he cleared the air on reports making the rounds in the media about purported multi-million naira contracts awarded to some companies.

A statement issued yesterday in Abuja by the Director Press in the OSGF, Boland Adebiyi said in a reaction to a publication with the caption “SGF to Explain how fake firms got N1.3 billion Contracts” and “Grass Cutting Probe, Contracts awarded to 20 Ghost Firms “, said the mentioned contracts passed through requisite clearances, obtained from the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP). 

It said the body of the story is at variance with the caption, “The implication is that PINE is really the body to answer all enquiries regarding the contract awards.  Not the SGF”.

While imploring the public to disregard the report, Adebiyi said all due process was well observed as “Apart from the BPP huddle, the Tenders Board of the procuring agencies, in this instance, the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, has to approve of the contracts before they are awarded” and all the process were not compromised.

“PINE contracts were awarded following strict compliance with public expenditure and procurement processes.  It will interest everyone to know too, that all PINE projects were properly executed.  
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