The Nigerian Senate summoned the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, and the Federation’s Accountant General, Ahmed Idris, along with the Managing Director of the NSIA, Uche Orji, and the contractors handling the projects to appear before him and Explain the variations in the cost of major federal highways that are run through the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA).
Some of the underlisted projects labeled Legacy Projects include Lagos – Ibadan Express Way, Second Niger Bridge and Abuja – Kano Expressway are being funded through a tripartite agreement between the Ministries of Finance, Works and NSIA.
Committee Chairman Senator Olamilekan Adeola, who gave out the invitation to the Minister of Finance, the Minister of Works and others in an interactive session with the NSIA MD, said the meeting was imperative to clarify the gray issue regarding funding of road projects. as well as variation in the cost of the projects.
Senator Adeola said: “As far as financing is concerned, by virtue of the information at my disposal and what the Minister of Finance made me understand, it is that you are playing critical roles in providing funds for legacy projects.
“As of today, two years later, only $ 300 million has been spent on books, as they have been spent on projects, this is cause for concern.
“We believe that financing is critical to these projects. If the funding is not there, there is no way we can meet those deadlines that you have set for project completion.
“In this sense, we would be incorporating the Minister of Finance, the Minister of Works and Housing, the Managing Director of the NSIA, the General Accountant of the Federation and the contractors who should be invited by the Minister of Works.
“I know there are variations already, but we want to know the value and scope of the work that the variations cover. We want to know because we don’t have it. That is why we want to know the real value of the Lagos-Ibadan highway, Abuja-Kaduna-Kano and the second Niger bridge. “
While he was making his presentation earlier, NSIA Managing Director Uche Orji told lawmakers that his agency does not have details on the cost of some of the projects.
Orji, immediately responded to the question about the actual cost of rehabilitating the Lagos-Ibadan highway, said that only the Ministries of Works and Finance could provide the information senators need, adding that some of the projects predate his agency. .
He said, “We discuss variation every day because any slight change affects my budget because I have a number that I’m working on.
“Any change in the scope of work is a problem for us. I can’t answer some of the questions bordering on the variation and events that took place before I took over.
“We need to sit down with the active players in the award of the historic contract that precedes our entry.”
