ABUJA: Minister of Works, David Umahi, has refuted claims of corruption and defended the transparency of the ongoing highway project, insisting that President Bola Tinubu did not recommend any companies for the project.
I want to say that there is no corruption in it. It is very transparent,” Umahi stated during an inspection tour of the Lagos-Calabar coastal freeway
Umahi also addressed critics who claimed that the project had bypassed a competitive bidding process. He explained that the procurement process adhered to the law, and he outlined the three types of procurement allowed:
restrictive procurement, selective/competitive bidding, and open bidding.
Umahi clarified that when the project commenced, they specifically sought companies with the capability to use “up to five wirtgne concrete pavers,” a technology that was not widely used in Nigeria until the project began.
“We had to look for a company that had done this kind of project before, and that is Hitech,” Umahi said, highlighting that Hitech was responsible for reconstructing the Oworonshoki Apapa Road, which met their project’s requirements.
He further explained that for Section 1 of the project, they initially used restrictive bidding, which was submitted to the Bureau for Public Procurement (BPP) and the Federal Executive Council for review. Once approved, the process moved forward, with corrections made where necessary.
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As other companies started investing in concrete equipment, especially due to the Ministry of Works’ insistence on using concrete in high water-table areas, Section 2 of the project was opened to selective bidding, where Hitech emerged as the winning bidder.
In Sections 3A and 3B, the same procurement procedure was followed, adhering strictly to the Procurement Act, Umahi emphasized.
Umahi reassured the public that the government had not deviated from the legal framework governing procurement processes, stressing that every step was in compliance with the law.
We have not gone outside the law, we have not gone outside the Procurement Act,” he concluded.
