Enugu State Government, Sujimoto And The Need For Due Process In Contract Award
By Ik Ogbonna
Until this controversy came to public knowledge, the Enugu State Governor had a reputation of a performer but the details oozing from this scandal has raised questions of due process and the quality of projects of the state government.
Issues to ponder on…
- Here is a contractor who openly admits he had never handled a similar project before and got such a job?
- A single contractor was handed an ₦11 billion legacy project—22 Smart Schools across the entire state, why?
- He claimed that he was promised other contracts without a formal bid.
- The numbers are not adding up. ₦11 billion for 22 schools is about ₦520 million per school.
- How come the Jaiz Bank bond suddenly turned into payments sent through Zenith Bank? The bond was meant to protect the government in a situation like this.
- This is not the first time Sujimoto’s name has come up in unsavoury circumstances. If due process was followed, this would have cropped up.
The loser in all these is not Sujimoto, he might go to prison and or lose his credibility and investments but the Governor and Government of Enugu State who has been seen as performing. I’m also hearing that Abia Smart school project is facing a similar situation.
There are questions around the award of a single school project for half a billion Naira while most public schools are in ruins. This project was designed to fail because it wasn’t designed appropriately with due process, and necessary checks put in place.
Ik Ogbonna is a Journalist and PR practitioner based in Owerri.
+2348037203559.